Burst Into Flames
by Snowsheba
Summary: AU. Ruby is the son of Norman, the richest man in Petalburg City. But then his home is raided by pirates and he's held captive for ransom. Ruby has good reason to hate pirates, but this motley crew just might change that - especially when an unexpected event leads him to join them, searching not only for the girl from his past but also for who he wants to be. T for swearing
1. The Dream

**Fwaa, new story. Sigh. **

**On another note, I always seem to start stories like this with flashbacks. What can I say? I like them. They're nice and practical.**

**I don't own Pokemon because otherwise I would rule the world. In a sense.**

* * *

_It was peaceful in the forest. A few baby Taillows were flapping around near him, the mother Swellows watching carefully to make sure they didn't get hurt. Ruby was having a great time, holding them in his soft hands and observing their beautiful plumage. Nearby, his friend, the little girl whose name he couldn't remember, watched with her thumb in her mouth and sitting primly on the ground, making sure her lacy dress didn't get dirty._

_He could see his parents through the trees, talking and laughing with the little girl's father (oh, what was her name, it was on the tip of his tongue), examining the plant life and still managing to keep an eye on the children. It wasn't fair, really, that grown-ups had eyes on the back of their heads; Ruby knew quite a few reasons on why that would be useful, but apparently such eyes didn't develop until one reached adulthood. It really wasn't fair._

_The little girl (he knew that he had her name, and yet, and yet, come did it not) suddenly screamed, and then all chaos broke loose in the form of wild men, screaming like banshees as their Pokemon snarled and hacked and slashed. Ruby heard the command faintly from his father – "Run!" – and his body wasted no time to obey, grabbing the little girl by her wrist and yanking her to her feet, urging her to run, to run, to not look back, don't look back, whatever you do _don't_ look back – _

_He could hear the pursuers behind him. But no, it was only one; his sharp ears identified it as a single four-legged creature, bounding effortlessly and quietly behind him in the foliage, one that could catch up as it desired. He tightened his grip on the little girl's hand (her name, her name, oh, how he wanted to know her name) and ignored her squeaks of protest, tearing through the plant life and gritting his teeth at the wounds he received in return._

_He turned for only a second (only a second!) and stared deeply into red eyes, screaming as he took a Slash attack to the face. He turned back, increasing his speed, slapping a hand to his forehead and grinding his teeth against the pain. Oh, it hurt, yes it did, but there was adrenaline in his veins, he wouldn't stop, couldn't stop, he had to run, to run, to run…_

_Blood flowed into his eye. He closed it, only noticing the silence when the little girl holding his hand (all he wanted was her name, why did it not come to him) pulled hard on his wrist, enough that he came to a jerky rest. He quickly knew the pursuer, with those red eyes full of bloodlust and pain and cruelty, was gone, lost interest perhaps, or maybe it was called back to its master. He didn't care; his forehead hurt, his eye hurt, and as he released the little girl's hand and staggered, he found he could barely stand, panting and coughing and hacking and – _

"_It's okay now," he said as he turned around to face her._

_But she screamed when she saw his face._

He woke with a start, bolting upright with her name dancing on his lips. He closed his eyes and tried to force the name out, _come on, come on, it hasn't been that long since then, I _know_ her name_, but no, it was forgotten, lost in his mind and never to return.

Ruby had had a feeling he'd have the Dream tonight. And apparently he hadn't been mistaken.

He lifted a hand and pressed his fingertips to the scars on his forehead, the marks inching into his hairline. Had it not been for _them_, the little girl wouldn't have screamed, and perhaps then she would not have been taken from him in the rough grip of that pirate captain. She would not have screamed, they would not have been found, she would not have been taken, her parents wouldn't have died as he was forced to watch. His fault, his fault, his fault, his brain screamed, hammering the two words repeatedly in his ears, his fault, his fault, his _fault_.

His Mudkip chirped at him, settling its lithe blue body in his lap. He stroked the Pokemon with a trembling hand.

He hated pirates.

And he'd do anything to remember her name.


	2. Raid

**Aaaaaand chapter one. Fact about myself, I always post both the prologue and first chapter at the same time.**

**Also, I, uh, made some changes. Firstly, Ruby doesn't have glasses. Secondly, he doesn't wear a hat, he has a headband instead. Thirdly, Giratina's status as a god(ess?). And finally, please tell me if I mess anything up with the pirate thing in this chapter and beyond – wait, that's not a change. Never mind.**

**I own the plot and… well, that's about it.**

* * *

Ruby finally managed to button up his shirt as he yanked his headband on, making sure his scar was covered as he rapidly wetted a cloth and brought it to his mouth. He could hear the fire's roar; soon, he knew, it would be raining flames, and by then, he hoped to be out of here.

He nodded to the blue Pokemon sitting primly on his pillow and said, "Time to go, Zuzu."

The Mudkip nodded, scuttling to the floor and standing at his feet. Ruby went to his door and placed a hand on the old wood, feeling for heat. Hot, and he drew back, knowing better than to try the doorknob. He left it alone and went to his windows, opening one with a practiced flick of his fingers.

As he peered over, he was met with the ocean's roar; sheer cliffs loomed below him. It would be practically impossible to escape, and even if he didn't die from the cliffs, the water was so cold he would freeze in minutes.

And then he froze when he heard voices.

"Flamethrower, Typhlosion!" Gruff, male. Not to be trifled with.

"Keep the flames away, Blastoise!" Light but serious, female. Also not to be trifled with.

Ruby shivered.

They – whoever or whatever _they_ meant – were at his door. Panic set his heart to fluttering at nearly impossible speeds, and he gulped as he looked from the door to the cliffs. He had a choice to try to escape or let the pair discover him.

He had not yet made the decision when, seconds later, his door was rendered to pieces from the Flamethrower attack. He ducked to the ground, coughing from the smoke and his eyes narrowed to see the two silhouettes approaching him. Zuzu pressed itself against his leg, and Ruby remembered late that he shouldn't let the Pokemon dry out to much. _Arceus help me._

He stayed down when the first silhouette came into sight. Black hair was held back by a dark yellow bandana, and the grin he was wearing and the glint in his golden eyes were enough to tell Ruby that he was dangerous.

"Look at this, Blue." The other stepped up to the boy's side, her blue eyes thoughtful and a smirk on her face. "A boy with his Mudkip."

"Norman's son, probably," the girl, Blue, said, her smirk widening. Ruby's eyes grew huge when he saw the Pokemon come up behind her, a giant water-type that he immediately identified as a Blastoise. Then he saw the fire-type, the Typhlosion, and shrank back further, holding Zuzu in both arms.

The two exchanged a look. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Blue asked the boy, her smirk turning into a full grin.

The other boy batted at the black hair in his face, like he did it all the time and it was as natural as breathing. "I think so."

Ruby didn't even have time to squeak; he was grabbed by his waist and thrown over the gold-eyed boy's shoulder, almost losing his grip on his Mudkip and dropping his wet handkerchief. He gasped as he inhaled smoke, half-aware of his captors skillfully exiting the building. When they hit fresh air, he almost felt like crying in relief, gulping in huge gasps of it. Then he lifted his head and watched as his home, his huge mansion that he knew like the back of his hand, burned, flames jumping out of the windows, the building collapsing on itself, Pokemon and humans alike screeching as they fought to escape…

Mudkip scrabbled up his arms to sit on his back, trying to get his captor to release him by biting and scratching and butting his head with its own. But the golden-eyed boy paid no heed, and Ruby could only watch as his vision slowly blurred and finally disappeared altogether.

Suddenly, he felt free.

"Please let Father die," he whispered, his first prayer to Giratina, the Pokemon of Death.

And for once, he welcomed the dark of unconsciousness.

* * *

"Seriously, Gold? What good'll _this_ shrimp serve us?"

"_Ransom_, Captain. We can get money out of his old man."

"Well, yes, but kidnapping a boy? He looks barely twelve!"

"Same age as you, Cap'n, if I'm not mistaken. Besides, he had that lost look everyone else here had. Before they came to this merry old crew, I mean."

"Right, and how can I even begin to _try_ an' trust your judgment?"

"Aw, cap'n, that's mean."

"You think I care?"

Ruby opened his eyes blearily. He knew he wasn't in bed, from the strange pressure on his arms and chest. He squirmed and then noted he was tied to something hard and rounded. Chancing a glance up, he saw the moon, shining brightly on the tall trunk of wood. It had branches sticking out regularly and white sheets hanging off of them. As it rocked from side to side, he wondered vaguely if it would fall on him; it was a strange tree, that much was obvious.

Then he realized with a jolt he was looking at a _mast_.

That meant he was on a _boat_.

And that meant… from what he could guess today's events… today's events! Oh, he remembered everything now, the fire, the destruction, the fear. But… if he were on a boat, then those people yesterday must've been…

No way.

"Pirates," he whispered to himself, or tried to; he discovered he was gagged as soon as he spoke. Pirates… the stuff of nightmares, stories mothers told their children so they would eat their vegetables. To think they would capture _him_ of all people…

His anger flared up immediately. How dare these – these – _barbaric_ pirates tie him up to a _mast_? What had he done to them? Nothing, that was what. And here they were, swaggering around like they owned him, how dare they, how _dare they_ –

"He's awake."

Soft and gentle, female. He looked to his left and saw a small blonde, a length of cloth spread on her lap and her fingers skillfully wielding a needle. She was good, he could see that immediately; her stitching rivaled his in quality. Then he took a double take. She was small in build and delicate-looking, a thin, simple yellow overcoat over her practical white shirt and black trousers. His eyes went down to her brown boots – well-made, comfortable, and obviously well-worn.

He lifted his eyes and observed the two others on deck. Their outfits were the same, minus the other girl's deep blue overcoat while the boy did not bother wearing one. Uniforms, perhaps, he thought with an inward chuckle. Barbarians they may be, but obviously, these pirates had class.

But in any case, the smaller girl's comment caught the other two's attention. They made their way over to him, the boy swaggering, the girl's step quick and certain. He immediately identified her as the captain and him as her second-in-command.

"Take his gag off," the captain girl ordered, deep blue eyes stony. The boy stepped to the side of the mast, reaching behind Ruby's head and untying the cloth with a few deft motions. Ruby breathed in deeply once the cursed thing was off. It hadn't been dirty, thank Arceus, but that hadn't make it any more comfortable.

He spat out, "What do you want with me?"

"Calm down, dude," the boy said, and Ruby glared at him, meeting the golden eyes squarely with his blood red ones. But the boy just smiled and said, "We're not gonna hurt you. After all, you're on our sloop, and we're not about to bloody her decks."

Ruby blinked a few times, shocked (_I wasn't aware pirates actually _spoke_ like that_), but before he could open his mouth to argue the captain girl cut him off. "Gold, I leave him to you while I write the ransom note _which_, might I add, is entirely your fault."

"'Course, Captain," the raven-haired boy said with a chuckle. _Ransom note! _Ruby watched as the girl walked off, anger bubbling in his veins once more. Since when was he something to be toyed with? If he weren't tied up… they'd be sorry if he weren't tied up, that he knew for sure.

And then something occurred to him. This – Gold character had called her captain, and yet, she was… twelve, according to what Gold said. He was twelve, too, but Gold looked to be at least sixteen, if not older. Strange that a younger girl was ordering an older boy around. Weren't pirates supposed to be cruel and savage and, well, sexist?

Well, for savage barbarians, Ruby thought, looking around him, they keep this ship in excellent shape.

"Grand old thing, isn't it?" Ah, Gold had noticed him looking around. "We're on our sloop, the _Zaffiro_. That's Italian for sapphire, by the way – not that the cap'n actually took the ship because of it, but… well, whatever. I'm Gold," he said, offering a hand. Ruby glanced at it before looking back up at Gold, eyebrow raised. The other boy cracked up. "Right, right, your hands are tied. Ha! Stupid of me."

"You know what, Gold? Why don't you go bother someone else?" said the smaller blonde who had first spoken. Gold cackled as he swaggered away, hands tucked into the pockets of his black trousers. "Sorry about him," the girl said softly, setting aside her sewing and needle and standing up. "I'm Yellow."

He nodded but didn't volunteer his own name, even though she was evidently kinder than Gold. There was no reason to in the first place; she hadn't asked, and he wasn't eager to share it. "Could I ask about Zuzu – ?"

"The Mudkip?" He nodded and she smiled, a fey thing that brought out two dimples, one that disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "Zuzu is just fine. Crystal is taking care of him right now – Crystal is our doctor, you see – and she'll bring him to you as soon as he feels a little better."

Zuzu was all right! He nearly deflated in relief. The Mudkip was the last gift he ever received from the little girl's parents before they had – died. Her name was on his lips again as soon as he thought of the tragedy, but it was forgotten as soon as he tried to voice it. So instead he asked, "Um… why am I tied to the mast?"

Yellow shrugged, sitting back down and taking up her cloth and needle. "In case you escape." The tone wasn't condescending; it was simply matter-of-fact, as if his destiny or, rather, his fate had led him to be where he was now. He found that he didn't dislike the girl; far from it, she was likeable. _For a pirate…_

He watched as she started sewing again, observing the deft motions with an expert's eye. "You're pretty good at that," he said at last.

She looked up, startled. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged, as much as one could shrug while tied to a mast. "My father is kind of withdrawn and forgets about me, so I make my own clothes and cook my own food and such."

Yellow stood up again, carefully placing her cloth and thread, and came closer, examining his clothes. After a moment, lifting the hem of his perfectly tailored shirt and observing it for a few seconds, she rocked on her heels and said, "You are definitely better than I am. Your stitches are _tiny_!"

Ruby willed himself not to flush with pride – a compliment from a pirate meant nothing to him, after all. "I – I guess."

The girl captain came back out then, a Taillow balanced delicately on her finger. He bit his lip and looked away from the bird, violently reminded of his Dream. "It's written," she told Yellow. "You mind tellin' it where to go?"

The girl nodded. "Of course, Sapphire." So that was the captain's name... so that was what Gold meant when he said the thing about the ship's name earlier. Why did it sound so familiar? He kept forming the word, silently, as Yellow whispered to the Pokemon for a few moments before giving it a lift. It flew away, squawking.

Sapphire. Sapphire. _Sapphire_. Why did it seem so important? His lips formed the word effortlessly, he could tell, so it must have _some_ impact on him… but why the name of a gemstone? Did he do lose a sapphire, and that made his father angry? Did he find a sapphire one day? Did he… did he…

Did it have something to do with the little girl from his Dream?

"Snap out of it," the girl captain snarled, and Ruby hurriedly brought his attention to the brunette. Yes, he was angry; yes, he wanted to get the heck out of here; but he _was_ tied to the mast and Zuzu was still below deck, if Yellow had been telling the truth. "You. You're Norman's son?"

"Obviously," he replied tartly. They wouldn't hurt him so long as they wanted ransom for him. At least, he hoped they wouldn't. But it couldn't be any worse than his father's beatings when he had told him of his desire to do contests and not battles. "I'm the only twelve year-old in Petalburg City. Though I wouldn't be surprised if you got the wrong twenty-something, but then, you're not looking for a twenty year-old, so – "

"Shut up," she snarled. He glared into her blue eyes but ceased speaking. "Gold's already told you too much anyway. But to the point: if you tell anyone about us, I will hunt you down and kill you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Had the circumstances not been stacked in your favor, you wouldn't have been able to capture me, let alone lay a finger on me."

From the expressionless look she gave him, she didn't believe it. Ruby sighed; her reaction was common. He wasn't the pampered son of the Gym Leader that the people were led to believe, though. Because before his father had deemed him a failure, he'd taught his son quite a few tricks.

"Right," she said after a moment. "Whatever. But the point is, don't tell anyone. Clear?"

"Indeed," he said dryly, and he chuckled at the furious look on her face. What a pityingly easy person to irk, and her being the captain, too. Perhaps pirates weren't as tough as he had previously thought.

She scowled at him and spun on her heel, marching purposefully away. Ruby looked around again, this time actually registering where he was. A lagoon of sorts, one near the town, too – he could smell the smoke on the breeze. The moon was nearly full, which was why he could see so well. It hadn't even been a day since he'd been captured.

He sighed and relaxed into the ropes, grimacing as the rough fabric dug into his wrists. He jumped when Yellow spoke again; he'd forgotten she was there. "It will probably take an hour for Norman to respond," she said, and he looked at her seat to see her dutifully sewing again. "You'll be comfortable again soon enough."

"I'm never comfortable at home," he replied with a sigh. "Everyone thinks I am, but I'm not. It's aggravating." He made a show of ignoring Yellow's startled glance as he added mournfully, "He never lets me do anything, not even leave the house."

How strange that he was telling this to a pirate, of all people. The ones he hated. But he really couldn't see Yellow as a pirate, no matter how hard he tried. She was simply to angelic, too nice, too gentle. And she was good at sewing, something that Ruby felt defined a person's character.

After a few moments' silence, she said quietly, fingers deftly sewing fabric and thread, "Sounds like you want to run away."

He snapped his head up, startled. He'd never thought of it like that, but now that he considered it… "I guess I do," he agreed at last, letting his head droop again.

"You know," Yellow said, and Ruby focused his attention on her, "If you manage to impress Sapphire, you could mostly likely join us."

"Join _pirates?_" He shook his head violently. "I could never – I can't – no. No. I couldn't. Not unless I was really desperate."

Her brown eyes glinted in the moonlight. "Aren't you desperate already?"

He opened his mouth to reply; then he closed it, grinding his teeth. She was bringing up something he didn't want to think about. After a moment he said, in response to the question, "I don't know."

"I can relate." Yellow turned those piercing brown eyes away and seemingly put all of her attention to her cloth, indicating she would not talk anymore. Ruby exhaled through his nose, looking down at the smooth wood at his feet, at the practical black boots he had made his father buy him. An hour standing tied to a mast would surely be a long one. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and began his meditation exercise, one his father had insisted he learn.

In for seven counts; hold for seven counts; out for seven counts; hold for seven counts; and repeat. Hopefully, he could forget about his situation if he got in deep enough…

* * *

He didn't know how much time had passed until he noticed a chirping at his feet. When he looked down, his face broke into a smile; there was his Zuzu, poking at his feet and looking up at him with adoration. He had missed the little guy.

"Hey, Zuzu," he said softly. The Mudkip squeaked at him before settling down and curling up on his boots. Ruby swore in his head – now he wouldn't be able to move his feet, and it wasn't exactly a comfortable position - but he wasn't about to ruin it for the Pokemon, who was evidently as happy to see him as he was to see it.

"Nothing serious," he heard faintly, and he looked up to see Yellow and another, taller girl with blue pigtails speaking, arms crossed, the white fabric of her shirt threatening to break at the shoulder. "Just a little dehydrated. He just rested for a bit, so he'll be fine now."

Yellow looked over and noticed Ruby had come out of his trance, so she led the other girl over. "This is Crystal," the blonde said once they were close enough. "She's the one who treated Zuzu."

He really had to push himself to thank the pirate – he hated pirates, for Arceus's sake, even though this one _had_ saved Zuzu – but he managed to croak out, "Thank you. Really."

"Anytime," the girl replied with a smile. Ruby looked down at Zuzu again, noting at the same time that Crystal had the same clothes as Yellow, Gold and the girl captain. Perhaps it really was uniform; the white shirt, the black trousers, the brown boots. But it seemed they were free to put their hair as they wanted, though, seeing as Yellow's was in a ponytail, Crystal's was in pigtails, and Sapphire and Gold held theirs back with a bandana…

"Distracted again," Yellow said, bringing him back to reality. She was shaking her head softly. "I don't know, he went into some sort of trance before this. What for?" she asked him, noticing he was attentive.

He shrugged, though it was hard to do. "To pass the time. This isn't exactly comfortable." He attempted to move his hands, but they were tight at his side. "I could try and loosen the ropes a little bit, but then they'd just get tied on again, and it really isn't worth the effort… I don't know."

"You're a strange one," Crystal said with a laugh. "Well, if Zuzu needs someone else, I'll be treating Gold's Typhlosion. Have Yellow call me."

"Thanks." He wasn't the strange one, he was sure; the pirates were the strange ones. They were civil, they were nice, they were practical, and they definitely weren't barbarians. Besides the facts the girls didn't wear skirts, of course, but Ruby had never found petticoats or skirts necessary anyway, so he approved on the style. Not that the pirates cared about his opinion, him being the captive, but at least it was one less thing to worry about.

Crystal went below deck, Yellow sat back down on her stool, and Ruby asked her, "How long has it been?"

She looked up at the moon for a moment, judging the distance. After a moment she looked back down, resuming her sewing. "Three-quarters of an hour, I think. Perhaps more. I'm not too good with that kind of thing… you might want to ask Silver for that."

"Who?"

"Silver. Our navigator. You won't meet him, though; he almost never comes up from his stuffy place."

There was a squawk, and Ruby felt his heart thud painfully as the Taillow from before landed on the rail. The girl captain suddenly appeared out of nowhere, or at least, that's how it appeared to him, and took the note from the bird as it balanced on her finger.

She absently gave the Pokemon to Yellow, who cooed softly to the Pokemon before reaching into her pocket and pulling out what looked like bread crumbs. Ruby switched his attention to the girl captain, becoming fixated on her hands. Pale, slender, lithe. He wondered what they felt like, for a moment, before asking himself why he cared about a girl's hands. Maybe her name being Sapphire had something to do with it, since the word seemed to mean something to him…

"What does it say?" Yellow asked the girl captain.

Sapphire did not respond, though it was evident by her ever-widening eyes that the news was going to be good. Or bad, depending on how you looked at it.

Ruby sighed and shut his eyes. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

* * *

**Yup. Cliffhanger, sort of. Sue me. Expect an update later in the week.**


	3. Unexpected

**And here we are at chapter 2…**

**Thank you to **GraySparkles**, **joystersm**, **PikaMewGirl**, **omaysruB**, **mangaluverjc**, and **Yel-kun 310** for following and/or adding this to your favorites – I _would_ like a review, but whatever floats your boat. Thank you to **GraySparkles**,** Raven Kat**, **Kidd Icarus**, and **blazelight790** for reviewing and following and/or adding this to your favorites! Also: **Kidd Icarus**, thank you for pointing out that Sapphire is a little OOC. I'll try to fix that, but it probably won't work.**

**Um… let's see. I changed Black's personality way much because I didn't know how to exactly fit it in. And I probably messed up a few others' - okay, maybe I messed up the whole lot of them. I don't know! Please tell me. And finally, if I get any ship/boat terms wrong, I'm sorry! I did research, I really did, on pirate terms and ship terms, but I can't guarantee I'll get it right!**

**If I owned Pokemon, trust me, they'd be some major changes in the anime and the manga and the games.**

* * *

"He refused."

Yellow's head whipped around, her ponytail whipping along with it. "What?"

Ruby blinked. He had been half-expecting it, or so he had thought; now he felt taken aback, shocked, betrayed. "_What?_"

Sapphire looked at him, eyes wide with surprise. "He doesn't want to pay."

He blinked again and looked away from the two girls, confused. What the hell? His father had refused the ransom? What kind of man was he, anyway?

He felt himself go numb with shock; and then, suddenly, an overwhelming wave of sadness crashed upon his shoulders, and he drooped, as if he carried the weight of the world.

His father had _abandoned_ him?

What the hell. What the hell. What the _hell?_

A few minutes of silence passed. Yellow cleared her throat once, and Ruby was careful to keep his face and voice expressionless when he looked up and said lightly, "Well, I was sort of expecting it. Are you going to throw me overboard now?"

Sapphire – the girl captain made a face. "Why would we do that?"

He shrugged, wincing as the ropes scratched his arms. They would be rubbed raw by the end of this. "I'm deadweight, right?"

"Your father just refused to pay ransom and you don't even _care?_"

He tilted his head. "Oh, I care, all right. Maybe he'll actually let me go and do something exciting for a change." Arceus, he felt like he was betraying the man when he said that. Well, maybe he was. No, actually, he was. Part of him cared about what his father thought and was shrieking in pain; the other part screamed rebellion and was rejoicing in freedom. It was hard which one to choose, but Ruby was pretty sure he knew which side he was leaning toward.

"So… I'm useless deadweight. Now what?" He waited patiently for his fate, watching as the girl captain bit her lip and looked away. Yellow rested her hand lightly on his shoulder before she walked out of view, and despite himself, Ruby was touched. These pirates… they really weren't so bad. They were just normal kids fighting to find their place in the world, supporting each other through the chaos and hoping for the best.

Or something. He really wasn't much for deep poetic analyses like that.

"Well…" Ruby looked more carefully at the girl captain as she spoke again. Then she looked him in the eye. "You have a strong mind, to not break from losing a parent's love."

He couldn't help it – he snorted. "I lost it long ago, Captain."

Her eyes flashed, though she still registered her title by a swift, almost imperceptible nod to him. "Whatever. Do you want to join our crew?"

That brought everything he was aware of to a dead standstill. What? _What?_ It was the whole 'what the hell' thing all over again.

Join the _pirates?_ The people who killed his mother? The people who killed the little girl's father?

Stalling for time, he raised an eyebrow. "Why ask me? I'm nigh useless on boats, mostly because I've never left Petalburg in my life after – the – incident."

She didn't question his last halting words. "Because you lost your home, and I should think you want a new one." Terse, quick and without a trace of malice. Was she being sincere or playing him for an idiot?

But then he met her eyes and knew she wasn't kidding. She truly felt sorry for him – however that worked, her being a pirate captain – and was offering him a place to stay. And from what he knew from the pirates he had met so far, they were far from a bad bunch.

But still. Pirates. Should he really be affiliated with them?

"I get that this is sudden, but it's not like we can just return you home. Obviously, that would give us a bad reputation, and also, your father seems to be a… troubled man, so I'm not entirely sure it will work out well for you."

Oh, she had no idea. He'd probably be killed by his old man for being kidnapped, even though it wasn't even his fault. Really, at this point, he didn't even know why he was hesitating.

Well, no, he did. Because he hated pirates. He had sworn to hate pirates, and to find the pirates that had killed his mother and the little girl's father (ah, there was her name again, gone as soon as it had come) and to get revenge. Of course, that had quickly been crushed by his father insisting he remain home, but still… perhaps he could find the thugs if he joined this motley crew.

Besides, he'd rather not go home at the moment.

"Thank you," he told her, casting his red eyes toward the deck to Zuzu, still resting at his feet. "I'm indebted to you."

"No need," she said in response, a small frown on her face. Her canines, he noticed, were longer than an average human's, and for the first time he noticed they stuck out of her mouth even when it was closed. The word _vampire_ crossed his mind as she said, "We all know what it's like."

Did they? He had to wonder.

* * *

"Right, first I'll show you where Crystal is. Come along, Zuzu."

The Mudkip chirped at Yellow before padding obediently at Ruby's heels, but Ruby just ended up scooping him up and carrying him in his arms. He had missed the little creature and he wasn't about to lose him again that easily.

"The gangway is pretty self-explanatory on deck… and this door leads to the interior, see. Then the stairs here…"

Everything here was polished and well-cared for. Ruby observed this with an expert's eye as they continued down the stairs and arrived at the lower level.

"Crystal's place is at the end of the hall here. This door." He followed the smaller blonde down the hallway and, sure enough, there was door with Crystal's name and the words 'Doctor' engraved neatly underneath. Yellow knocked once before calling, "Crystal? It's Yellow. Gold is nowhere in sight, and I'm just showing the new guy around."

Ruby was reminded that he actually hadn't told anyone his name. Well, no matter.

Crystal opened the door a moment later, looking harried and slightly singed. "_Damn_ Gold's Typhlosion!" she growled, letting them in and closing the door behind them. Ruby felt slightly faint at the change in temperature; it was _hot_ in here. Zuzu squirmed in his arms, not happy to be in such heat, but Ruby didn't quite dare let him go. "He keeps randomly igniting, and he almost got my face a few minutes ago! Do something about it, Yellow, _please_!"

"Calm down, Crystal." Yellow went over to the Pokemon as Ruby watched. It was really a magnificent creature, but the bandages wrapped on its leg were burning off and he could see a long cut in the skin. Ah, so Crystal had wrapped the wound multiple times but it kept burning the bandages off…

Yellow seemed to have a staring contest with the Typhlosion, and after a moment, it snorted and bowed its head. "There. Now you shouldn't have any trouble," the blonde told the blunette across from her. Crystal's pigtails bobbed as she gave the smaller girl a quick nod of thanks. Yellow turned to Ruby as the other girl started treating the Pokemon again. "Well, on to the next place."

As they exited someone yelled, "_Crysta-al!_" and a blur of white and black ran right into him. He didn't even think; lightning-quick, he spun the assaulter around and jabbed at the pressure points on the shoulders and legs, watching with satisfaction as the person fell to the ground, unable to stand.

"What the hell – ? Oh, you're not Crystal. No wonder." Gold was cackling despite not being able to stand up. Then he abruptly stopped and said, in a voice of a boy who had just been scolded, "But now I can't move!"

Yellow murmured to Ruby, "No one's been able to get Gold to stop moving. You have my respect." Ruby grinned shyly in response.

Gold muttered, "This sucks." Then he asked, "How long am I going to lie down here, new guy?"

"It should wear off momentarily," Ruby told him quietly, looking down at him. The boy was taking it rather… well, for someone he had previously assumed crazy.

"All right, as long as I _can_ get up later. Man, Crystal is gonna freak when she leaves her room…!" He started cackling again, and Ruby shared an uneasy glance with Yellow. Then she shook her head and composed herself.

"Right, so anyway, our next stop will be Cheren." Ruby hurriedly looked up and trotted after Yellow to catch up.

"Who?"

"He's our quartermaster. With luck, White'll be with him. Cheren!" she called, knocking on the door next to Crystal's once. "I'm coming in!"

"It's a mess in here!" a female voice warned as Yellow opened the door.

There were two desks and bookshelves lining the sides of the cramped room with one window letting moonlight through. Other than that, lanterns were lit, there was a lack of any mess and there was a harried-looking boy sitting at one desk, writing frantically with a quill pen. He was wearing the standard clothes as well, white shirt and black trousers with brown boots, but he wore a dark blue overcoat and his fingers were stained with ink. "Is there any reason for this visit?" he asked irritably, pushing his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose. "I have enough work as is without interruptions – "

Ruby watched, amused, as a girl with luxurious brown hair and a pure white overcoat walked to him and leaned on his head with her hand, pushing his face into the desk. "Shut up, Cheren. It's just the new guy whose father didn't pay ransom." Her blue eyes softened when she saw Zuzu being held in Ruby's arms. "Aww, look at the little guy…"

"Ah… Ruby of Petalburg. Of course." Ruby started; how did this boy know his name? _And why wasn't he at least winded from slamming his head into his desk? _Cheren stood up from his desk and looked him over, blue eyes running over his figure before he abruptly turned and nodded to White. "Put him in the log. We'll need to adjust pay and put money aside for his clothes and welfare."

"All right." White slid into the other desk, just as neat as Cheren's, and began paging through a large book placed on the wood as Cheren turned toward Ruby. But before he could speak, she said, "Wait, your name is _Ruby?_ Isn't that a girl's name?"

"Was that necessary?" Yellow said tartly and immediately, surprising Ruby into silence. "So what if he's named Ruby? I'm named Yellow and you're named White, for Arceus's sake."

"I know, but I'm just curious – sorry," the other, taller girl said hastily, noting that all three were now glaring at her. She busied herself with her quill, writing slowly and beautifully, and didn't look up. After a moment, Cheren started speaking again.

"Yellow and Platinum should be able to make your clothes in a few days," he told Ruby, absently tapping his chin with his finger as he thought. "You don't look like a sailor, so perhaps your duties can include something along Diamond's… er…"

"He's really good at sewing," Yellow interjected, and Cheren looked at her, finger paused in mid-flight. "Plus he just stopped Gold cold just now. Go check the hallway."

Cheren went to the door and opened it, poking his head around the doorframe. Gold's voice floated down to them; then the raven-haired boy shut it, shaking his head with a rueful smile on his face. "You are full of surprises," he told Ruby, going to White's desk and pointing to where she had evidently put his name. "He can work on deck, but he can also sew well."

"And I can cook," Ruby added, noting Cheren's raised eyebrow.

But all the raven-haired boy said was "Good, Arceus knows we need more of those. Put him down as a cook, White."

White snorted and smacked Cheren's pointing finger away. "I _do_ have ears, Cheren."

"I think we're done here," Yellow said as the other two began to go back and forth about Ruby's duties and what he could be able to do. "Next stop is Silver the navigator, then the cooks, and then we'll go on deck to meet the rest of them."

"Who is 'them'?"

"The other people who don't have specific duties. Or who are swinging the lead right now. Most likely that," she said with a shrug.

Ruby could tell that Silver wasn't exactly the friendliest guy when Yellow hesitated before knocking on his door. "Silver, I'm coming in."

Ruby entered quietly after the smaller blonde, noting it was darker and more somber in the room. Except at the desk; there, brightly illuminated, were maps and tools, currently resting on the wood while a redhead clad in a sheer silver overcoat sat in a chair behind it. "Yellow, why are you here?" the redhead asked irritably, his eyes shut and his head bowed, hands clasped before him. He looked to be praying.

"Don't be an ass." Ruby looked over at Yellow, startled. She didn't seem to be one to swear, but she had steel in her, from the way her hands were propped on her yellow overcoat and from the way her brown eyes gleamed. "Ruby, this is Silver. His personality could use a little work, but he's the best navigator on the seas. Silver, this is the new guy, Ruby."

"Ruby, huh." The head lifted, and hands brushed aside a curtain of red hair to reveal silver eyes gazing at him intently. "An interesting name for a male. I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but it really isn't. Get out, would you?"

Yellow sighed but complied, motioning Ruby out the door before closing the door behind herself as she left. "You'll have to forgive him," she said apologetically as she began walking again, toward yet another door. "He's had a hard life. His mother died when he was young, and even before that, he was kidnapped."

Ruby suddenly felt guilty; compared to that redhead's past, his own was a walk in the park. Zuzu squeaked at him, sensing his master's sudden change of feelings, and Ruby smiled down at the small creature. It really was a comfort in times like these.

"Here's the galley. Bianca!" Yellow called, poking her head through the door. Ruby could smell food, and his mouth watered; when was the last time he had eaten? Not dinner, because his father had been in the kitchen and thus he'd been unable to cook… "Bianca, meet the new guy. He's probably going to be helping you."

After a moment, a taller blonde worked her way over, sweat on her brown and her green eyes alight. "Yellow! A pleasure to see you! And you must be the new one," she said warmly, rubbing her hand on her black trousers before holding it out. Ruby shook it hesitantly, noticing the lack of an overcoat and seeing her white shirt was relatively unmarked; she must only use her trousers to wipe her hands.

"I'm Bianca!" she said cheerfully, "And while I'm clumsy and no good up on deck, I do make a pretty good meal. I look forward to working together!"

And just like that, she turned and immersed herself with a pot full of simmering… something. "She probably forgot about us, and it doesn't look like Diamond's here right now," Yellow said, undeterred. "We should go above deck. Ready?"

"Er… yeah." These people were _pirates? _He would have a hard time believing they weren't a circus.

Up the stairs and back up into the night air they went, Zuzu trotting at their heels. Now that Ruby could actually see the entire ship, not just the section he had viewed from his place at the mast, he could see the deck was alive with figures. Yellow searched the place with her eyes and focused on a pair of boys seemingly arguing with each other. She waved them over as well as catching the eye of the girl Blue Ruby remembered from yesterday. "My closer friends," she explained as the three ambled over.

"Hey, Yellow. So you're the new guy?" Blue looked him over, one hand on her hip, the other smoothing down her blue overcoat. After a moment, she nodded, satisfied. "So, how'd you like the mast? Not bad, right?"

Ruby was about to reply when he saw the tallest brunette was looking down menacingly at him, green eyes glinting in the moonlight, hands moving from the pockets of his emerald green overcoat to cross on his chest. Ruby eyed them as muscles bulged with the motion; this one was a seasoned sailor. The brunette noticed his look and snapped, "I'm Green. Try to stay out of my way."

"Oh, shush, Green." Ruby turned to the last boy, one with black hair like himself. His thin overcoat – all of the overcoats he had seen, actually, had looked to be made of silk, thin and pretty and thus practically useless – was a deep shade of red. "Look at him. He has red eyes, just like me."

Ruby met the boy's eyes and felt a shiver pass through him. The other boy was right; not only did they have the same black hair, they also had the same iris color. "I'm Red," the raven-haired boy said with an easy smile.

Yellow nudged him, reminding Ruby of his duty to be courteous. "I… I'm Ruby."

If any of them thought his name odd, they kept it to themselves. Red played a bit with Zuzu, Blue said how nice it was to meet him, and Green simply waited off to the side. Then Blue insisted that the brunette shake Ruby's hand, which led to an interesting conversation between the two that Ruby didn't quite dare interrupt. Finally, after another brief squabble, Green and Red left, leaving Blue to catch up.

"If Silver gives you a hard time, I'll have a word with him. I like you enough to do that for you." And then she was gone, trotting after the other two boys and shouting something incomprehensible to them.

"Aren't we supposed to be quiet?" Ruby asked after a moment, leaning down and picking up Zuzu. He balanced the little Pokemon on his shoulder as he added, "And why does Silver listen to her?"

"We're far enough from the town, with enough trees to shelter us, that the sound shouldn't carry. But you're right, we should be quiet. And Silver listens to her because they're foster-siblings."

Foster-siblings? Those two? They weren't alike at all! But at Yellow's sharp glance Ruby kept his thoughts to himself and instead he meekly followed her was she walked. She soon arrived at a group of three, of which both boys were playing chess and the girl was watching. "Diamond, Pearl, Platinum," she said as she drew near.

They immediately stood at her voice and the boys sketched a quick bow while the girl dropped into a small curtsy. "Senior Yellow," the girl said in a distinct accent, one that came from the richer families. What was a noble's daughter doing here? And what was with the 'senior Yellow'? "Is this the newest member?"

"Yes. Ruby, this is Platinum. She's my – excuse me, _our_ fellow seamstress."

"You may address me as Platina," the girl told him, crossing bare arms over her silvery-blue overcoat. "I hail from the Berlitz family, which is why my accent may seem familiar."

Ruby had heard about the Berlitz scandal. That family had lost everything they had because of… something his father wouldn't tell him. He hadn't even let Ruby see the newspaper article. "I am sorry for you loss."

She smiled at him, a small smile but a smile nonetheless. "Someone who knows how to speak properly at last. We shall get along, you and I." Zuzu dropped to the ground and butted her leg, instantly gaining her attention.

"He's the other cook you didn't see, Diamond," Yellow said, indicating a droopy-looking boy with black hair and blue eyes. Ruby flicked his eyes over the overcoat; blue, with some sort of sheen that glowed in the moonlight. He was beginning to realize he could identify members by the colors of their overcoats. Whoever had thought of it was pretty smart. "And that one over there is Pearl."

Pearl's overcoat was whitish-gray and the sleeves were rolled up all the way to his shoulders. Ruby had to wonder if he put gel in his hair; the blond strands stuck up in a very strange fashion. "You know, you stayed pretty calm while tied to the mast. Most of us started screaming our heads off after thirty minutes of complete silence."

"I didn't," Diamond said, just as Ruby told the blonde, "I was meditating."

Pearl raised an eyebrow but didn't question the explanation. Ruby wondered what his role was until he absently stretched an arm; then he had a clear view of wiry muscles, most likely used for climbing the ratlines and perhaps rigging the sails. "Well, you seem to be a decent person. So… nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Ruby looked the two over. They seemed to be commoners; why were they friends with a noble such as a Berlitz?

As if reading his mind, Diamond said, "Her father appointed us as bodyguards before he... you know. Died."

Platina bit her lip and looked away while Pearl told Ruby, "It's best not to talk about that with her; you know how recent the scandal was. Really, though, Diamond; couldn't you have had a bit more _class_?"

"Let's go. You still have a couple of people to meet," Yellow interrupted, hooking her arm through Ruby's and dragging him away. Ruby, in retrospect, would thank her later; had he stayed any longer, Platina might have very well lost control of her emotions. Zuzu was quick to follow, never leaving his master out of sight.

They stopped at the main mast and Yellow tilted her head up. "Emerald!" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. "You need to meet the new guy!"

After a moment, a very short blonde dropped down out of nowhere, scaring Ruby enough that he squeaked in alarm. "This is Emerald," Yellow told Ruby, indicating the short boy with her fingers. "He likes to stay up in the top."

"It's nice up there," the short boy said defensively, eyeing Ruby with intelligent green eyes. "And I'm taller than everyone else."

Yellow chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "I know what it's like being short."

"At least you're not too short," he said, disgruntled. "I mean, sure, you're seventeen, but I'm still eleven and look at how tall I am!"

_Seventeen?_ Yellow was seventeen? Ruby had thought she'd be younger…

Emerald soon was back up at his post, saying something along the lines of "It's too warm down here". Yellow explained, "Since he stays up there a lot, he and Silver make a good pair; with them we never get lost. He's also the one who hoists our Jolly Roger flag, and he likes to help Green."

"What does Green do?" Ruby asked, curious.

"He's the armorer. Basically, he repairs our guns and swords whenever we hit land. Plus he's a great sailor."

"Oh… guns." Ruby wasn't surprised, but he still didn't like it.

Yellow gave him an apologetic smile. "None of us are wearing ours on our person at the moment, though we all know where they are if we need them. Mostly, though, we use our Pokemon."

"I was wondering about that. Where are they? Since you don't seem to keep Pokeballs on you," Ruby added.

"Pokeballs are bloody expensive," she said with a chuckle, leading him further astern. Ruby snapped his fingers once, summoning Zuzu to his side, as she continued, "Right now they're sleeping – or partying, one of the two – in their quarters."

After a moment they had reached the stern of the _Zaffiro_, and this is where Yellow called softly, "Black? You need to meet the new guy."

A figure he hadn't seen previously stood up and stretched before walking gracefully toward him. Each step was precise and controlled, and no movement was wasted. Then a person came into view, brown eyes warm, a light smile on his face. An overcoat dark as the night was snug around his shoulders. "Hello," he said quietly, holding a hand out to Ruby.

Ruby shook it, feeling the calluses on the boy's palm. He looked thin and weak, but he really wasn't, Ruby supposed – just like everyone else on here. He could see Yellow or even Platina wielding a rapier with ease. "I'm Ruby."

"I'm Black," the boy replied unnecessarily (his overcoat said it all), slipping his hands into his pockets with a smooth motion. Everything he did, in fact, was smooth and controlled, elegant and graceful. "It's very nice to meet you." With that, he went back to his dark corner and sat back down, bringing his knees up slightly and resting his folded hands on them.

Yellow made Ruby walk a distance away before telling him quietly, "Black is the boatswain, so once things get underway you'll be under his command. He's overall a nice guy, but when he gets overexcited or angry, it's best to get out of his way before he hurts you. At least – " She gave Ruby a looking-over – "That's how it used to be, before I saw you completely disarm Gold. He didn't even have time to draw his knife." Ruby gulped, wondering just how close he'd been to getting hurt when he'd attacked the other boy.

"Wait, I thought Gold was second-in-command?"

She chuckled. "He's an officer, I suppose you could call him. He's in charge of the boarding crew; other than that, he's useless. You'll probably be more valued than him."

Valued… apparently all of these 'ladylike' skills his father had loathed would come in handy. "I see."

"And finally, to the captain," Yellow said after a moment, sensing Ruby was suddenly uncomfortable. He bit his lip at the mention of the girl captain; he was pretty sure they would be at each other's throats in no time. Still. She _was_ fun to irritate.

Yellow led him back to the front of the ship as Ruby scooped up Zuzu in his arms to boost his confidence. In the hallway again, Ruby remarked that it seemed spacious from the outside, but each room was small and cramped. Well, they didn't need a bigger boat, since their crew was unusually small. He knew that most crews had contained at least one hundred men, usually more. "Sapphire, I'm coming in," Yellow called, opening a door. Ruby obediently walked after her, observing the room around him.

Sapphire was standing at her porthole, looking out at the trees. She didn't turn even when Yellow had taken a step toward her. "Let me talk to him alone, please," she said in a clipped tone. Yellow murmured assent and turned to Ruby, indicating he should give Zuzu to her. He did, sighing, and the Mudkip squeaked in protest as Yellow closed the door behind her. Ruby felt about half of his self-confidence leave with the small blonde and his Pokemon.

"So." The girl captain left it at that, waiting for him to speak.

After a few minutes of uneasy silence, he murmured, "A band of outcasts, brought together under a girl of merely twelve years."

"Excuse me?" He could see the anger glint in her eyes as she whirled to face him.

"Exactly what I said," Ruby replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "How did a young, inexperienced, hot-blooded girl like you possibly do it?"

Sapphire merely glowered at him, crossing her arms as well. They stared at each other for what seemed like ages; then she said, blatantly ignoring his previous jab, "Listen, I have a job for you."

He raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware you were capable of thinking ahead."

Her blue eyes narrowed but she didn't retaliate. "Do people know what you look like?"

"Of course not. My father never let me out of the house ever since the – incident." And that had been when he was five. He still blamed the man for not giving Zuzu to him when the little girl's father offered it to Ruby; instead, his father had taken it, saying he'd give it some training before he gave it to his son.

He had trained it, that was true – Zuzu was probably the strongest Mudkip in existence. But that still didn't mean Ruby had to forgive him.

"Good. I need you to gather information."

Oh? This sounded interesting. "Where?"

"In towns and ports we stop at. We need to make sure we keep a relatively low profile, and besides which, we need information on certain things."

"Such as?"

"People, mostly. Potential prizes. And also a ship called the _Ingenium._"

_Ingenium_ was Latin for 'natural' – where had Ruby heard it before? It was as familiar as the word 'sapphire'. "So basically, I'm the only one who ever leaves the ship and goes into town?"

"Exactly."

He nodded. Then, just to irk her, he asked, "Can I refuse?"

Instead of getting mad, though, her lips pulled up into a small smile. "I don't think you're in a position to do that."

He shrugged, mustering the most innocent expression that he was able. "I was simply curious."

"Also, I will be relying on you to recruit as necessary. Though I doubt that will work well," Sapphire added. She sighed, drumming her fingers on her thigh, before muttering, "Dead men tell no tales…"

Ruby's heart thudded painfully in his chest. "So you're saying if I do offer a place and they refuse - "

"You might have to kill them, yes." Sapphire looked just as uneasy about that idea as he did. "Hopefully that will be avoided." After a moment she said, "You can go now; ask someone to show you where to sleep. Is Gold still lying on the floor out there?"

"If he is, perhaps I hit him harder than I thought." Ruby was about to turn around when he caught the girl captain's eye. She was staring at him in disbelief. "What?" he asked, slightly apprehensive.

She propped her hands on her hips. "_You_ did that to him?"

"Of course I did that to him. Do you know anyone else on here who could?" He watched her face as several expression flitted across it before it ended up with a neutral look.

"No," she said good-naturedly. "No one."

"I take my leave." Ruby turned and was at the door when he remembered something. He looked back and asked her, "Am I free to render him immobile as I desire?"

She grinned at him, the first time he'd really seen her smile. "Please do. And don't hesitate."

* * *

**The reason the ship is in the lagoon is because the crew was careening it. You might want to look up what that means. I also tried using more pirate/ship lingo (and I might've failed miserably, too). And I used Latin, which may or may not have worked.  
**

**Review, please! Expect an update either next week or the one after.**


	4. Raiding a Prize

**Chapter 3 is here. This one has two action scenes, sort of, which I think I'm pretty good at writing…**

**Thanks to the **Guest**, **GraySparkles**,** PikaMewGirl**,** blazelight790**,** joystersm, Kidd Icarus, **and the **Anonymous Reader **for reviewing. And to **PikaMewGirl** and **joystersm**: hey, thanks for giving a review! It really means a lot to me. While I understand it may be a bit weird, I do love hearing what my readers think ;) Also, thank you **KuraiFlame16 **for the favorite.**

**Okay… warnings for this chapter. Let's see. This chapter proves Ruby is not 'sissy boy', so I guess he's a little OOC… speaking of that, apologies if any of the characters are a little OOC. Sorry if my action scenes/touchy/angsty scenes are a little rushed, and also, is anyone wanting me to do certain pairings between some characters? Right now it's Franticshipping-centric, but I could throw in a little romance hints here and there…**

**If I owned Pokemon I would fully explain why a huge Gyarados can fit in a tiny Pokeball.**

* * *

"You do know that Ruby doesn't really go for traditional hand-to-hand combat, right?"

That was Crystal to Gold, who had decided to challenge Ruby to a friendly duel – with daggers. Ruby had received one from Green two days after he'd joined the crew, and he'd been training under Gold for the proceeding five. Thanks to his previous education in the martial arts, he'd quickly learned how to use it (ending up with permanent scarring on his arms – it had taken Ruby a good three hours to accept that they weren't going away, and even then, he'd still been teetering on a full emotional break-down).

"Yeah, I know. He'll probably break my wrist or something." Ruby tucked that tidbit away upon hearing it; perhaps he could use it as a threat against the Johto native. "Still – he puts up a better fight than the rest of you can."

"Say that again to my face," Black remarked while in passing. "Crystal, I believe Green's Charizard pulled a muscle in its wing."

"Again?" Black just gave her a look and she sighed. "All right, I'm on my way. Ruby?" The younger boy looked up at her call. "Don't kill him, okay?"

"Of course not," he replied, bringing his eyes back down to Zuzu. He was currently running his fingers over the Pokemon's body, searching for any traces of dirt. The crew had been surprised to find their new member was surprisingly vain, so much so he spent a good fifteen minutes adjusting the headband he wore each morning.

Ruby had no intention to explain why he wore the headband – his hair was short, after all, and there was really no need – despite questions his mates asked him.

"Ready to go?" Gold asked him, twirling a single wickedly sharp dagger in one hand. Ruby nodded, releasing his Mudkip from his lap, standing up with a stretch and removing the dagger from his belt. He had to admit the uniform was quite comfortable, though he still preferred clothes he made himself. He was actually sewing another white shirt for himself, spending a good hour or so on it every night.

"Make it quick," Black advised, standing a little distance away. "I believe the captain intends to stop at a beach near a town." He raised his voice and cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting, "Emerald! I thought I told you to take the Jolly Roger down!"

It had taken a while for Ruby to adjust to the constant commands Black would issue. The boy had a ridiculously loud voice when he wanted despite his soft-spoken demeanor. And even though he had such a demeanor, White, along with Cheren and Bianca, had told Ruby he was fortunate to not yet have witnessed one of Black's 'episodes', as they called them, due to their unpredictability and danger. Ruby was pretty sure he'd be okay, though; none of the other pirates could stand up to him when he poked their pressure points, after all, and he doubted Black, even while having an episode, would be any different.

A faint "Aye!" was heard, and then the black flag, featuring a skull with crossed swords behind it, was lowered. Ruby watched this with faint fascination as well as observing the way Pearl effortlessly loped along the lines, rigging the sail just so and generally just slacking off and enjoying the breeze.

Even Silver was out – quite a rare occasion, one that his sister Blue wasted no time in exploiting – overseeing as Red and Green worked on tacking. Ruby had learned it was a way to navigate a ship against a wind, basically by traveling in zigzags. Silver had been far from impressed on how slowly Ruby picked up on those things, eventually leading him out of his workplace and informing him he should give up on ever being a navigator. Then he slammed his door in his face.

Ruby didn't let it bother him.

"We're starting!" Gold announced and he lunged at the younger boy with no warning at all. Ruby, only by sheer reflex, managed to block the incoming blow, but the force behind it drove him to the deck, and he had to quickly roll to his feet to avoid a fatal stabbing. _They may _call_ it a friendly duel, _Ruby thought grimly, nimbly stepping back to avoid a downward cut,_ but it is definitely far from it._

The two began a dance of diving in and slashing. Or at least, Gold did – Ruby merely dodged and attempted to ram his fingers into choice points in Gold's arms, eventually rendering one useless and forcing the other boy to switch his dagger to the other hand.

Ruby's weakness was his low strength and defense. If one could catch him off guard, or actually land a cut on him, he was done for the count, and if Ruby landed a hit – which he did, often – it more likely than not did nothing to stop the enemy. Gold took advantage of this and kicked Ruby in the stomach, causing the boy to reflexively double over and take a wobbly step back. The older boy was about to drive the hilt of his dagger into Ruby's head, but he stumbled when Ruby landed a weak kick on his ankle. Thus the circling began again.

Gold lunged forward, slashing blindly. Ruby blocked, wincing as the blade slipped off his own. He turned to make the dagger dig itself slightly into his shoulder instead of his face and quickly made Gold release the handle of the blade, kicking it out of reach when Gold reached for it.

It was easy from there. Ruby soon had Gold's other arm immobile and one foot on his stomach, dagger pointing at his throat. "No fair," Gold whined breathlessly.

"We have to watch each other's feet next time," Ruby replied, panting and sheathing his dagger. Black trotted over and handed Gold's abandoned one to him. "You kicked me first, which reminded me I could kick you as well, and, well, you can see how things panned out."

Crystal came up moments later, leading a fire dragon behind her (Ruby had learned it belonged to Green and was called a Charizard) and holding a roll of bandages. She efficiently wrapped Ruby's shallow cut, scolding Gold for making their new member have to sew yet another shirt for himself since his was now stained. Gold could do hardly anything now that his arms were unable to move for a while, so instead, he trailed after Crystal, moaning and groaning as miserably as he was able.

Ruby took a few shaky breaths and went over to the railing, leaning heavily on it. That kick to the stomach wasn't something he could take lightly; he already felt dizzy and bile rose in his throat. His shoulder pulsed painfully, a dull sort of pain that meant it would last for a while. He swallowed, holding his hand in front of him. It was visibly shaking.

He gritted his teeth. Sure, he was the only one who could best Gold in combat, but that was only because he was faster and he could render Gold unable to move certain parts of his body. If Ruby didn't have that training from his father, no doubt he would've lost quickly and badly. And now look at him; a simple kick to the stomach and a shallow cut to the shoulder and he could barely stand! Something was definitely wrong with him.

Someone landed lightly next to him, and when Ruby looked over, he saw it was Pearl, finally down from the ratlines. He sighed inwardly, wondering if he'd get teased again, but all Pearl said was, "You'll feel better if you drink some water. Gold's got a kick like a Rapidash."

"How would you know?" Ruby asked, voice cracking. He coughed into his palm, spitting up – something that he quickly wiped on his black trousers.

"Because he's kicked me before too" was Pearl's mild response, and just like that, the boy was gone, trotting astern to where Platina was playing her flute. He easily engaged her in conversation, sitting cross-legged down next to her and chattering away. It was rather… intimidating. Ruby wondered if he could ever be that people-friendly. Even though Pearl came off as quick-to-judge and impatient, people seemed to think he was a good person and a good friend.

Ruby had also been surprised to learn that several members of the crew were musicians – Black could play the fiddle decently, Platina would often play around with a wood-carved flute her late butler had made her, and Yellow had the voice of an angel – and Sapphire was quick to inform him journeys were long and often monotonous; their three musicians added spice to the trip, so to speak. Ruby had watched the pirates enjoy a calm night at sea while the trio played a variety of songs, from merry to sad to invigorating. It was intimidating as well as amazing. These pirates were so different from what he had thought he knew…

"Ruby?"

He started. He'd been so focused on his thoughts that he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings. He straightened up with a wince. "Sorry. Yes?"

It was the girl captain, blue eyes neutral, brown hair flowing lightly in the breeze. "Listen, when we hit shore, I want you to go to the town as quickly as you can. I saw a possible prize sail by in the distance, and I want you to see if it holds anything of value."

He hadn't seen a single boat, and Emerald hadn't shouted that there was one, either. Her eyesight was either perfect or she was simply delusional. But to another matter, what exactly was something of value? Bars of gold, perhaps? Pieces of eight? By now Ruby wasn't exactly sure what these pirates wanted. "Of course, captain."

"Just Sapphire is fine," she said. Then she registered his blood-soaked sleeve and frowned, worry gleaming in her eyes. "What happened?"

"Gold wanted to fight," Ruby replied, looking at the red quickly before jerking his eyes away. His stomach rebelled at the sight.

She shook her head, sighing. "He's always been like that, I'm afraid." She propped her hand on her hip, thinking. "Which makes me wonder just how quickly he destroyed his coat. Speaking of that, did you finish yours yet?"

"Not quite." A few more hours of stitching and it would be complete, however.

"Good. It makes it much easier to identify who's who." Ah, so she'd been the one to devise the colored overcoats. Clever of her, really. He had been learning a lot about his captain in the past week, while seemingly did nothing but at the same time did everything on the ship. She had knowledge in about every field needed on the ship, even helping Silver in times of emergency, and she was the only one who boasted more strength than Gold. She was amazing, and yet, and yet… she retained femininity, in some sort of way.

That was the real beauty of it all. She was so masculine, and yet she wasn't. It had taken him a while to get used to, but he had decided that he liked it.

Sapphire's voice broke through on his thoughts, wrenching him back to reality. "Oh, and you'll need to ask about some people."

Ruby nodded. "What are their names?"

She shrugged and said sheepishly, "We don't actually have them."

"That's certainly helpful, wild girl." He had taken to using the nickname after witnessing her chase Pearl around on the ratlines, knock him down and then yelling at him for stealing one of Silver's tools just to irritate the redhead. She had been like a monkey, wild and free, and, well, after he mentioned it to Blue, the name had stuck.

"Don't call me that."

"My apologies, captain," Ruby said with a snicker. He ignored her glare and asked, "Is there descriptions I could use?"

"Yes. We're looking for Blue's parents, Green's missing grandfather and sister, and Silver's father. The rest of us have lost our families, but we're doing all we can to find the others'." She paused, tapping her nose with a finger. "I'm not entirely sure how you could ask about them, but please, do you best."

Only four people still had their families out of the sixteen, seventeen if he included himself, people here? "If – I don't mean to be rude, but – if I could learn of how it happened – ?"

"You can ask them. But… they might not tell you."

For the first time he actually looked into her eyes. They were so blue, as blue as the ocean where she thrived. "And you?"

The question was unmistakably _and what happened to_ your_ family?_ Sapphire bit her lip and shook her head; Ruby wasn't going to hear about it that easily.

"Blue will be going with you," Sapphire added a moment later. "Don't let her do anything stupid."

"Cap – Sapphire," he corrected himself when he saw her look, "I really doubt I'd ever be able to control a woman as formidable as Blue."

Some sort of expression flitted past on Sapphire's face, disappearing as soon as it appeared. But her eyes suddenly became more neutral, and Ruby wondered if he'd said something wrong. "Do your best." Then she spun on her heel and walked away, making a beeline for the door that led below deck.

* * *

When Ruby returned to the lonely beach early evening, hours after he'd first left, he found Blue already waiting and Green and Red preparing to row them back. Ruby frowned; there hadn't been a rowboat before, Sapphire had forced him to swim to shore and setting off, soaking wet and hiding under a thick, brown cloak.

"Anything important?" Blue asked Ruby, settling down on the rowboat's seat with a quiet sigh as the two older boys splashed the oars in the still water.

He shook his head. "No one has heard of a father or a couple missing a child, and no one knows where the Oaks have gone. Sorry, Green," he said apologetically to the brunette, who merely grunted and continued rowing. "You?"

"Nothing much. The _Ingenium_ was here a week or two ago, but other than that, the sailor didn't tell me more." She sighed, mock-dramatic. "Even with my beauty and charms, he still suspected me."

"Suspected you of what?" Red asked, already covered in thin layer of sweat. Ruby decided he'd try to avoid rowing at all costs.

"Of being not who I said I was. He didn't think I was a pirate, but he certainly didn't think I was a runaway noble's daughter."

"No one would believe that, Blue," Green said with a snort. Blue kicked his shin with her foot and didn't respond.

"The ship Sapphire saw," Ruby said a moment later, "It has grain and sugar, bound for Kanto."

"She saw a ship?" Blue asked, curious. Ruby nodded.

"Grain _and_ sugar?" Green repeated. He exchanged a look with Red, grinning. "Excellent. It's been ages since we've had sugar."

"Is that what you want?" Ruby asked, startled. To think pirates valued food above riches… Even though he'd been here an entire week, he'd learned these pirates were way different from what people had told him. "Sugar?"

"Sugar and grain are worth their weight in gold, if not more," Red told Ruby, his scarlet eyes gleaming. "And of course, sugar itself is quite the delicacy."

"Their weight in _gold?_" Ruby asked, eyes wide. No wonder the pirates wanted it. Red and Green both nodded.

Blue cackled and exclaimed, "If we're lucky, they'll have some good wine on there too!"

Wine was something Ruby abhorred. The one time he had tried it, a few mere weeks ago, had left the nastiest aftertaste in his mouth. His father had informed him it was an acquired taste, but Ruby was not looking forward to drinking more.

Once he had climbed the rope back into the ship, Ruby was startled to see Green and Red simply abandon the smaller rowboat. "Do we not need that later?" he asked the person nearest, who just happened to be Platina, as he leaned on the railing to watch the smaller craft slowly float away.

She shook her head. "They stole it from the port, you see. It is not ours to keep." Her metallic eyes were laughing as she looked at him. "You remember having to swim to shore at noon, no? Green and Red were sent by Sapphire to get the rowboat for you and Blue to ease the passage. It is something that is commonly done, though admittedly I was surprised the first time I saw it as well."

"I see." Talking to Platina was somewhat of a relief; she spoke like a normal person or, at least, what Ruby considered normal. He didn't like how his words became less formal as the days passed, and thanks to her, he could keep his vocabulary in check.

After a few minutes of companionable silence, Pearl ambled over, per usual. Platina was rarely seen alone, normally having Pearl or Diamond either nearby or next to her. "Hey, Ruby," Pearl said, propping both elbows on the ship's railing.

"Hello."

As usual, Pearl wasted no time in getting to his point. "I've been meaning to ask this, but – why do you wear your headband?"

Ruby's hand immediately went up to the strip of cloth, touching the place where his scars were. "It's for covering – something that happened in the past." His tone indicated he did not want anyone to ask anything more than that.

But Pearl was undeterred. "Something? Do you have a tattoo on your forehead or something?"

"No, it's not like that – "

"Pearl," Platina interrupted, "He does not wish to speak of it."

Pearl fell into a sulking silence. Then he asked, "Will you tell me if I tell you what happened to me?"

Ruby looked over into Pearl's orange eyes. "What do you mean?"

"My hometown was destroyed by a pirate named Cyrus," Pearl said flatly, not waiting for Ruby to give assent. Ruby opened his mouth to insist he didn't have to continue, but the blonde waved it off. "Dia and I – along with his Torterra and my Infernape – were the only ones who escaped. Everyone else was killed or dying."

Ruby stared at Pearl, wide-eyed with shock, as he continued, "We arrived at the Berlitz mansion because it was close by and the nearest place to get shelter." His voice cracked, and he coughed a bit and said more quietly, "The place was already in ruins. Platina's father had protected her from falling debris, but he was – he was still – "

Platina placed a hand on his shoulder, silencing him, and looked up at Ruby, her voice husky with regret. "I was unconscious at the time, but Pearl and Dia tell me my father's final words were 'Protect her'. Since then, they have never left my side." Ruby could see she was keeping her face carefully blank; the expression there was one that he had seen commonly on himself when trying not to melt into a puddle of emotions in front of his father.

After a few moments' silence, Ruby said softly, "You didn't need to tell me." Arceus, his mates seemed to have way worse pasts than he did. How could his even be worth listening to, after a tale like that?

"Yes we did," said a new voice. All three jumped, turning around to see Diamond. "Everyone here knows everyone's stories. That why we get along so well."

The other boy leaned on Pearl's other side, and Ruby looked them over. The Sinnoh trio, they were called, were picked up near Twinleaf on the coast by Sapphire and her crew, near-death and desperate. But now, Ruby could see, they were quite happy with their new lives, even if they lived as outlaws on the seas.

"So you know our story," Pearl said after a while, leaning over Platina's neatly folded hands and poking Ruby's shoulder. "So what's the reason you wear that headband?"

Ruby sighed inaudibly. Then he reached up and yanked the whole thing off, turning to face the three. The scars were large enough that even Pearl gave a little gasp. "I was playing with a friend with her father and my parents watching us. Then pirates came, killing her father and my mother and taking her captive." Ruby fingered the marks on his forehead. "The captain's Persian did this."

"The captain…" Pearl murmured.

Dia asked, "Did you get his name?"

Ruby tilted his head. He did remember the man speaking to him while carrying Sapphire… but what exactly did he say? Then it came to him. "Giovanni," he said, pulling his headband back on. "Yeah. He had four others with him, and he said his name was Giovanni."

"Giovanni?" Platina, Pearl and Ruby all looked at Dia. "Didn't that Cyrus man said he was destroying our town on orders of Captain Giovanni?"

Pearl frowned, exchanging a glance with the other boy. "You're right. He did. Do you think they're the same person?"

"If so, then this may help us in our search for the _Ingenium_," Platina murmured thoughtfully. "Giovanni was in Hoenn well before he went to Kanto, if Sapphire was captain when she first found the four."

Ruby loosely translated 'the four' as Red, Yellow, Green and Blue. He asked, "Do you think this means that Giovanni and his crew are behind all the tragedies that happened to everyone here?"

The silence he received was answer enough.

* * *

"Emerald! The Jolly Roger!"

"Gold, are you ready?"

"Of course, Captain. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe Ruby killed your arms again?"

"Captain, did you tell him he could do that as he wanted?"

"Platina, you really don't have to stay for this…"

"Thank you, Dia, but it really isn't necessary. I will fight as I always do. Isn't that so, Empoleon?"

"Cheren! What are you doing? Get back to where Silver is!"

"I _am_ where Silver is, White. Just a little further than I normally am."

"For Arceus's sake, just let me command Serperior for you, okay? Last time you nearly got yourself killed!"

"And we can't have that, can we?"

"Arceus… _Cheren! Stop_ _getting in the way!_"

"Ruby!" He started. "What are you doing! Get back to work!"

Ruby looked up. Pearl was pulling the lines on the mainsail tight, indicating Ruby help him. He climbed up to him and grasped the ropes, looking over to the ship in the horizon.

"Green! Green, where the heck is your Charizard? I found the rest of the fire-types, but yours is playing truant _again_ – "

"Shut up, Blue! He's flying up _there_, over _there_, you see?!"

"Oh. Sorry, sorry."

"Calm down, please… we're getting close…"

"You don't always have to be peacemaker, Yellow."

"It's in my nature. You should probably know that best, Red."

"Gold, make sure that Typhlosion doesn't overdo it, okay?"

"Anything for you, Crystal."

"Say that again and I'll punch your face."

"All right. Anything for you, Crys – _ow!_"

"_Is the boarding crew present?_"

There was Black again, his voice pitched perfectly so it carried throughout the entire ship. Ruby knew if it could be heard by the other ship. Sound traveled, after all, very well over water.

"Everyone's above deck, if that's what you're asking!" Emerald shouted from the crow's nest.

"All right, we're done," Pearl said, and he and Ruby climbed down the ratlines to the rest of the crew. It was pandemonium on deck: the whole crew was running around, Pokemon that were more likely large than not were searching for their masters, and in the midst of it all, Black continuously shouted commands that often did nothing more to irritate.

Zuzu appeared from between a Meganium's legs and leapt into Ruby's arms, trembling. Ruby stroked the small creature, wondering just how close it had gotten to being trampled.

"_Everyone, silence!_"

Sapphire. Immediately, everyone stopped talking, and people and Pokemon alike stopped moving.

"Green, Gold, Pearl, Black and White, line up your Pokemon. We'll proceed with firing at them as soon as Silver draws close." Sapphire also included herself in the first line, a magnificent Blaziken standing tall in front of her. "As soon as we get close enough, Blue, Silver, Dia, Bianca, have your Pokemon disrupt the waters as necessary to keep them close. The rest of you, back off unless we need extra help."

Zuzu growled and Ruby muttered something under his breath in frustration. Almost everyone doubted his little Mudkip; the creature was so small even Platina, who normally had good judgment, was skeptical of its power. Only Crystal knew the Mudkip was far stronger than anyone thought, so much so that it could perform a Hydro Pump attack.

"Gold, as usual, will lead the boarding crew. Everyone except Yellow, Silver, Crystal, Ruby, Emerald, Pearl, Bianca and Cheren should follow immediately. Unless it's an emergency, stay back. And Ruby – " Somehow she found his eyes in the crowd and gazed right at him – "Since this is the first time seeing us take a prize, _do not interfere_. If we are caught, insist you were press-ganged."

"Forced to join," Pearl whispered next to him, seeing Ruby's confused face at the words 'press-ganged'. Oh. So if they got caught, Sapphire wanted him to get away.

How was that fair? He was – well, he felt like he was family to these people. There was no way he could possibly leave them to die. And, considering the squeaking noises Zuzu was making, his Mudkip felt the same.

"Silver, get closer."

"I'm _trying_, Sapphire. Be patient, okay? Just because I'm a navigator doesn't mean I'm good at steering this thing."

"No pressure," Gold said helpfully. Silver glared at him and didn't respond.

Ruby watched as they drew next to the ship, mostly observing the expressions on the other crew's face. Fear, occasionally; mostly, though, skepticism and contempt. Well, they were a group of kids, that was true.

"Flamethrower, just to scare them," Sapphire said emotionlessly, and the six fire-types present – Charizard, Typhlosion, Blaziken, Infernape, and two Emboars, one belonging to Black and the other to White – unleashed the attack.

"Better than Greek fire," Pearl said with approval upon seeing the flames, aimed carefully away from the deck – it wouldn't do to burn the other ship to cinders, for no doubt the grain and sugar would go with it. The ship came closer, and closer, and closer, so close Ruby was sure the wood would grind against their ship, but then –

"Go!" Black shouted, and Gold went for it.

Ruby knew he should be away from the boat, instead of leaning on the railing with his Mudkip in his arms, watching the whole spectacle with mild interest. Lots of destruction, lots of screaming, lots of – lots of – gunshots? Oh.

Maybe that was why he'd been told he shouldn't be so close.

Ruby turned and trotted a little distance away, keeping an eye on the combat. Most of the other crew wasn't even attacking, so it was merely the captain and the officers keeping the young pirates at bay. Sapphire was engaging the captain with only a rapier, and he watched with admiration as she neatly made him drop his gun and kicked it away, leaving the older man to draw his sword.

"Uh oh," Silver said suddenly from nearby. Ruby followed his gaze and saw a familiar shock of black hair hit the other ship's decks.

"He got _Gold_?" That was Crystal, eyes wide with shock.

"That cannot be good," Platina murmured, stepping forward. "Empoleon, be ready." The rest of the crew who owned water-types also stepped forward, but Cheren barred Ruby from getting closer with his arm.

"I don't think Zuzu will be of much help here." Ruby gritted his teeth but kept his mouth shut, instead craning his head to get a better look. Some of the boarding crew, including Gold and Black, were unable to fight anymore, Black sporting a broken arm and Gold… Green was kneeling at Gold's side, examining his – his – Ruby turned away, thinking he'd be sick. So much blood, so much blood was coming from his lower leg. How could Green stand it?

"Oh no – Sapphire!" Bianca shouted, her voice nearing hysterics. Ruby immediately snapped his head back to look and when he saw the situation he swore his heart stopped. Sapphire was holding off a deathblow, just, with her rapier. The small, thinner sword was no match for the other captain's saber, that much was clear.

He felt as if his body moved on its own. Ignoring shouts of protest, Ruby unceremoniously dropped Zuzu, who landed easily on its four stubby legs, and moved fluidly to the other boat; it was so close now that he could easily jump across. Ignoring the rest of the fighters, he plowed his way straight to the captain.

He hadn't actually done what he was planning on a real person before, but now was a good as time as any.

He first got the captain's attention was clamping a finger on a pressure point in the shoulder, rendering the man's left arm useless; that did nothing, it seemed the captain was right-handed. The captain slashed the saber at him and Sapphire screamed at him to run; no matter, it wasn't like he'd get hit by a clumsy attack like that. Gold was much faster, and his father faster still. Instead, he grabbed the man's arm, gently tapped the back of the man's elbow, and then immediately smashed the side of his hand into the elbow joint.

The result was instantaneous: the elbow hyper-extended. Howling, the man dropped the sword and fell to his knees, one arm useless, the other bent at a strange angle. Ruby looked down at him, then ducked to avoid a person who cut at him from behind. Effortlessly he grabbed the offending arm, dragged the man closer and pressed a thumb to the artery in the neck. A few breathless seconds passed; then the man fell, though whether he was dead Ruby wasn't quite willing to check.

Sapphire grabbed his shoulder and hissed, "What are you doing here?"

He blinked at her. Then he looked around. Oh. _Oh_. Wait a minute, when did he actually – "Good Arceus," he breathed, looking down at the captain. He had never been sure if he'd been able to successfully perform a Golgi organ strike, but now he knew he could.

"_Well_?"

"Saving your skin," he replied, looking down at the other man and pressing his fingers gently to the throat. There was pulse, fortunately, though the man had probably suffered brain damage if he'd held down both parts of the carotid artery.

"That wasn't _necessary_ – "

"It actually was," Red interrupted, walking toward them. The officers were all down for the count at last. "Admit it, Sapph – if he hadn't come when he did, you'd be lying in a pool of your own blood."

Sapphire scowled and muttered some choice words under her breath. Then she seemed to calm down and raised her voice. "Everyone who is able, get the grain and sugar. Green, if you would carry Gold – "

"Done," Green called, hopping back over the railings and following his fellow mates below deck. Black was staggering back to the _Zaffiro_ with the help of White, and Gold's leg was already being treated by Crystal. The other crew members sported only small wounds and were hard at work carrying supplies.

Sapphire and Ruby went around, gathering the fallen officers and tying the ones who were still alive together. Ruby couldn't believe his own mates were capable of taking human lives, but now, he was looking at direct evidence. "Are you going to attack us?" Sapphire asked the rest of the crew. There were many, but only one stepped forward.

"It's not our ship and it's not our cargo. We're not getting paid much for this," he said simply, and the others nodded agreement. And thus the proceeding events went quite smoothly.

The captain was continuously spitting insults at them, which reminded Sapphire of what Ruby had done. She turned to him, blue eyes questioning. "What exactly did you do to him? All I saw was him, and then bam – his arm is all… weird."

Ruby cast his eyes away as he spoke. "My father taught me ways to hyper-extend certain limbs, one of which is the elbow. I cannot be certain whether it is permanent or not, but…" He shrugged.

Sapphire looked at him for a very long moment, during which he didn't turn his face toward her. Then she nodded. "Your way of fighting is much better than killing. Taking lives is not worth it."

"That's not necessarily true. Who wants to live as a maimed beggar?" Ruby countered. They stared at each other for a moment; then they both looked away at the same time, Ruby only to hide a faint flush on his cheeks.

She was so _cute_ when she was angry.

Ruby could actually sense it when someone was about to clamp a hand on his shoulder. He elegantly shifted, causing the hand to miss, before grabbing a finger and twisting it back. But the offender didn't even make some sort of sound in alarm; instead, a male voice said, with an amused tone to it, "It's just me. And that hurts, you know."

Ruby immediately released the finger, embarrassed. Both Sapphire and Diamond were giving him strange looks, and he turned away and made his way toward the _Zaffiro_. Wordlessly he padded toward the door that led below deck, his Mudkip immediately at his heels when he snapped his fingers. Then his lithe figure disappeared as the door closed.

After a moment, Sapphire said, "Perhaps he's not as sissy as I thought he was."

"I don't think so either," Diamond agreed.

* * *

**If anyone noticed that Silver slammed the door – please tell me if you know what I'm referencing there ^^**

**This chapter probably took me the longest to write. I reread it and revised it about seven billion times – okay, maybe on five times, but still. It took me a while. Which reminds me – are there pairings people want to see? I'm not entirely sure if I can really focus on them, since this is Franticshipping-centric… and also because there's some shippings I don't support… but you know. Anything?**

**Please review! I'd love to hear what you think!**


	5. Glimpse into the Past

**What's this? An update after only three, four days? THAT'S RIGHT, FOLKS. And the next chapter's already half-written!  
**

**This is a short chapter but a necessary one. I think I've gotten quite good at touchy scenes... though I could still use some guidance. So if you want to help me improve...  
**

**Thank you to **Vexenna**, **MangaLover2142 **and** Clogallie** for following and/or putting this in your favorites. Also thank you to the following people for reviewing:**

POKESPE-FAN: **Aw, dude, you need to make an account, this site is awesome. **

PikaMewGirl: **by all means! *hands you a frosted butter cookie***

Kidd Icarus:** That was actually my favorite line XD **

Vexenna: **you know, not a lot of people seem to like pirates and Pokemon. Then again, they **_**are**_** hard to write **

jjmara: **Really? Thank you! We shall see about the pairings.**

blazelight790:** That was one of my greatest accomplishments, realizing she was wild and yet not. And then I found the perfect way to describe it :D I was so happy. This is the chapter where things happen, too, so be prepared…**

DotTheAmazing**: He was hurting Dia's finger… I'll check to see if it's really that confusing, and in any case, I apologize :)**

**If I owned Pokemon, I would clearly state Ash's age. I would also change his appearance accordingly, throw him out, and get a new hero or heroine. Sorry if you like Ash, because I sure don't!**

* * *

"Why is it that Ruby came onto here with barely more than the clothes on his back and a Mudkip, and now he's one of the most important crew members we have?"

Crystal leaned on the barrel in front of her and said in a teasing tone, "Is someone jealous?"

"Sh-shut up, Crys!" She laughed as Gold muttered, "It's just, he's only been here for two weeks, and it's already like we couldn't possibly have survived without him. And when he saved Sapphire during that raid… the Sinnoh trio keep telling me he broke the captain's elbow and then killed a man by pressing his thumb on his neck. How is that even _possible_?"

Crystal shrugged, but then she looked thoughtful. "But you should've seen him afterwards, Gold. He looked like he'd been to hell and back. I don't think he'd ever used his martial arts against an actual enemy before."

"But still… he's, like, perfect."

"I'm what?"

The pair whirled around, guilt written on their faces. Ruby was watching them with an amused expression, Zuzu sitting primly at his feet. "You heard that?" Gold asked, embarrassed.

"Every word," Ruby replied with an easy smile. "I'm glad I'm getting a reputation."

Crystal laughed and bopped the younger boy's shoulder lightly with her fist. "_I'm_ glad you've gotten more comfortable here, to tell you the truth."

"Truly?" The expression on the boy's face was enough to prevent Gold from commenting on the word choice: one filled with hope and a little fear.

"Of course!" Crystal replied, startled. "We're family, aren't we?"

The boy smiled, really, actually smiled, one that lit up his ruby eyes and made him look so much younger and innocent. When he spoke, his voice contained just the tiniest tremor. "Thank you."

"Oh! Um… anytime," Crystal stammered, and she and Gold watched as Ruby trotted away, his Mudkip bounding around behind him.

"I guess he still has trouble facing what's happened to him, just like the rest of us," Gold said after a moment, watching his junior retreat.

Crystal rolled her eyes. "And it just occurred to you?"

* * *

"Where's Ruby?"

The Sinnoh trio looked up from their nightly game of chess to see their captain, hands on her hips. "I'm not sure, Captain Sapphire," Platina replied, waving a hand at the boys to continue their game. She elegantly got to her feet and brushed off her shirt with one, smooth motion. "Does he not have watch at the moment?"

"He's not in the sleeping quarters, if that's what you're wondering," White called from further away, relaxing in her hammock. Cheren was reading nearby in his and Black and Bianca were already fast asleep in theirs.

"And it's Emerald's watch right now," Blue added from the corner where she, Green, Red and Yellow were playing cards.

Sapphire sighed, dismissed Platina with a flap of her hand, and exited the place, frustrated. Recently she had noticed her new crew member had shadows under his eyes, and every time she had looked for him, he had never been below deck in his hammock. It was irritating as well as disturbing; what, exactly, was keeping Ruby up at night?

She opened the ship's door to the night air, searching the decks with eyes that knew every nook and cranny. Ruby was not in sight from here. She glanced up to the deck above the door, going ladder that led to the poop deck and scaling it with ease. As usual, Ruby was not here, either.

The only place she hadn't looked was at the tops, where Emerald liked to hang out. It wasn't uncommon to find him sleeping up there, and Sapphire wouldn't be surprised if the short blonde and her new crew member hung out up there. But for the moment, Emerald was at the bow, watching to make sure the ship didn't catch onto something underwater. She was fairly certain there were no reefs, but one could never be too certain.

Well. To the crow's nest it was, then. She swung herself onto the ratlines and proceeded to pull herself up, climbing gracefully and efficiently. And when she poked her head above it, there he was, his back to her.

It was slightly disturbing that she had not thought to look here earlier – it had already been two days since she noticed – but at least she had found him. Soundlessly, she leaned over and tapped the boy's shoulder.

Or tried to, anyway. Ruby had her hand in an iron grip and was gracefully twisting a finger back before she even knew what was happening. She made a mental note to never startle Ruby and said quietly, "It's just me."

His red eyes – ones that entranced her, beautiful and mystical and, and _deep_, all at the same time – widened and he quickly released her hand and looked away, a flush visible in the moonlight. "S-sorry," he stammered, still not looking at her.

"Ruby." The response wasn't immediate, but something in her voice made him turn back and meet her eyes. She asked gently, "Is anything wrong?"

A quick smile accompanied with a shake of the head; classic signs of reassurance, and Sapphire resisted the urge to slap him. "I'm fine." Then he asked, a little too casually, "Shouldn't you be below deck with the rest of them?"

She frowned at him. "I could ask you the same thing." Seeing his mouth tighten into a thin line, she sighed and prodded his shoulder with one finger. "You'll feel better if you talk about it, you know."

He gazed at her, trapping her blue eyes with his red ones, letting the silence stretch into minutes. Finally he sighed and said ruefully, "I can't really hide anything from you, can I?" For once he sounded exactly like he was: a twelve year-old boy, uncertain and afraid for the times ahead.

She scoffed, swinging her legs over the thin wood to sit on it. Ruby eyed her positioning, dubious of its safety, before raising his eyes to meet hers. She leaned forward, resting her head on her hands. "What's the matter?"

Silence, filled only by the rushing wind. After a few more moments Ruby said quietly, facing away from her again, "It's still hard to believe my father abandoned me, you know?"

Sapphire didn't reply, hearing from his tone that there was more to say. She was rewarded for her patience when, a few seconds later, Ruby muttered, "I… never _liked_ him, maybe, but he was family. And sometimes, you know, you don't like your family, but that doesn't mean you don't _love_ them… Well, I mean, you love them, but you don't – I'm not explaining this very well, am I?"

"You're saying you love your father, but you don't always like him," Sapphire said promptly. Then she blinked; normally she was the slowest to get these things, how had she known what he was saying?

He gave a quick, hard nod, turning once more to look at her. "And to hear he _refused_… that's sort of like saying he never loved me. And he never liked me, that much I know." He let out a faint, shuddering breath. "Mother was the world to him, before she – died."

Curiosity got the better of her, and even though she knew she shouldn't ask, she did. "What happened?"

Ruby shook his head, and Sapphire didn't press. After a few more moments, wind blowing through their ears, Ruby spoke again. "My father said my eyes look just like hers. He didn't want anything to happen to me, he said, because I was all that was left of her. He only cared about her, and her memory. Do you know how frustrating it is, trying to impress your father and all he does is say 'Your talent came from your mother?' I hated it. I still hate it."

Sapphire didn't quite dare interrupt then, so she let him go on as he continued, "He taught me things, he taught Zuzu things, but he never thought I'd have to use them. He never wanted me out of the house in case something happened to me, either, because as I said, I'm 'all that's left'. He never let me out, not even out of my _room_, so I had to sneak to the kitchen to eat because he'd forget about me for a long time while he mourned Mother."

So his father _did_ love him… in a sense. It was just more of a twisted kind of love.

"The worse part was that everyone thought I was living a perfect, comfortable life." He laughed hoarsely. "The kids my age would talk how I was a snob and never came out of the house because I didn't need friends. That I was a happy, stupid, fat Grumpig. They would yell at the front of the house, and even though my room is in the back, I could still hear them."

Sapphire blinked, feeling ashamed. She'd thought the same thing of Norman's so-called snobbish son and hadn't been shy on dishing out her opinion, either. Of course, when she'd first meant him, she'd been surprised about, frankly, his size, and also his mannerisms. But this did explain why he was on the slimmer side: Ruby had never gotten enough to eat back home.

"But – even so, I still thought he loved me," Ruby said quietly. Sapphire watched him intently. "Because he was trying to protect me, even though it wasn't the life I wanted – I really thought he loved me. At least, I did, until that – thing happened two weeks ago." He sighed and tilted his head back, looking briefly at the moon. "It's – weird, you know? To lose a parent, not because they're dead, but because they didn't love you."

What really got to her, though, was when he placed two fingers above his heart and murmured, in a soft, desolate, helpless voice, "It _hurts_."

She laid a hand on his shoulder, silencing him and bringing his attention to her. The raw emotions in his eyes, the sorrow, the pain, the fear – it made her wonder just how much was Ruby hiding from them. "I know what it's like to lose a parent," she said softly, so softly he had to lean in to hear. She sighed and took her hand away, using it to wring her fingers. "And I understand. Really, I do. I can prove it to you," she added upon seeing his doubting expression, "Because my father was killed by pirates when I was little."

Ruby blinked, staring at her. _Her father was killed by pirates when she was little_. But then he shook himself. There was no way she… she was taken by Giovanni, killed no doubt, so Sapphire couldn't possibly be the little girl from his memory. And it wasn't uncommon to be orphaned by pirates… was it?

"I was in the forest with my friend," she said, looking at the crescent moon in the sky. "I… remember he was playing with birds, but I was too scared to. My dad was nearby, and so were his parents, I think. All I remember was a face, one that scared me, and I screamed. Did you know I was really girly back then?" She chuckled, not looking to see his expression. "Anyway, I screamed, and then the pirates found us. I think there were five of them."

She either ignored or didn't notice as realization dawned on Ruby's face. It _was _her. All this time he'd been wondering her name, wondering where she was, wondering if she was still alive – it was _her._

"My – father, or maybe his father, I don't know, told us to run, but I was too scared to move. He – the boy, though, he wasn't, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of there, running through the woods."

Ruby slowly sank into a crouch, his fingers placed delicately on his temples. He felt so stupid – why hadn't he figured it out sooner, for Arceus's sake!

"I could hear someone, something behind us, and I think when the boy turned, the thing cut his face." Her fingers rose to her right eye, drifting right above the blue iris and tapping the exact spot where his scars were. Ruby shivered. "But we made it out all right. Until he turned to me. He told me – I remember exactly what he said and how he said it – "It's okay now." And then…"

Sapphire was the girl from his past. Sapphire was his friend from all those years ago.

Sapphire… she was the one he'd fallen in love with, ages and ages past. Ruby rubbed a knuckle against his forehead, feeling blood rush to his face. Arceus, he'd thought it was merely a childhood crush, but no, but no, that didn't seem to be the case as he focused on willing the blush away.

"And then… I'm so ashamed of this, but – when I saw his face, with the cut bleeding and everything, the blood dripping into his eyes, I – I screamed." She laughed quietly, tonelessly, and Ruby watched from beneath his lashes, scarlet eyes unreadable. "That was what gave us away… the pirate captain came and he captured me and made us watch them kill our – mine and the boy's, I mean – our parents, and then he left, thinking to use me as – as ransom, maybe, I don't know." Her voice rose a little bit. "I was the great Sapphire Birch, after all, daughter of the esteemed professor from Hoenn, obviously of worth to the community!"

"And then what?" Ruby's voice was deathly quiet, barely audible in the wind, but if Sapphire noticed, she didn't say.

"And then – I escaped," she replied, a small yet smug smile (_rightly so_, Ruby thought to himself) on her face. "The captain thought I'd be too scared to leave, so he didn't guard me when he and his crew slept. And I slipped away in the dead of night and ran back to town." She gave another short, toneless laugh. "To think I would stumble upon the bodies again. But the little boy's wasn't there, so I took heart in that and continued on."

She had found their parents' bodies… Ruby shuddered. He, for one, wasn't able to stomach blood; he used to faint at the sight of a paper cut until he realized he wouldn't be able to sew, for he would prick himself occasionally and it wouldn't do to faint in the middle of threading a needle.

"Ever since then, I've sworn to myself, and to the little boy's memory, that I would never let fear get in the way of what I wanted." Sapphire sighed, swinging her legs back and forth in the small space the crow's nest offered. Ruby was leaning back on the wood, staring at her, heart thudding in his chest so wildly he was sure she could hear it. "And look at me now – a pirate, just so I could find those damn people that took everything away from me."

She looked at Ruby expectantly and saw he looked faintly surprised. Then, when he realized she was looking, his face softened into a gentle expression. "Your story is familiar," he said, mostly to himself. "I would never have thought…"

"Yeah, me neither." Sapphire swung her legs over and grasped the ratlines, peeping her head over the crow's nest's walls. "You coming down?"

He looked like he wanted to say something, but after a few moments of inward debate he instead merely smiled and said with a nod, "Yes, I'm coming." Then, suddenly: "Race you!"

"What?" She then saw he was scrambling down to the decks. "No fair!" Sapphire complained, descending as quickly as she could. But he'd gotten a head start, and when she swung herself onto her ship's decks, he was waiting for her with a smirk on his face.

"I beat you," he said teasingly.

"Shut up." They walked to the door in a comfortable silence. As Ruby put his hand on the knob Sapphire said suddenly, "I never thanked you."

"For what?" She looked up and met his eyes, startled at the gentleness there. He had never looked at her in such a way before, and it sent a shiver down her spine. Not an entirely unwelcome one, but not one she enjoyed, either.

"For – saving me, when we raided – the other ship," she mumbled, fumbling for words. Her pride was suffering, but she had to do this. "Um… even though I never admitted it, I would have died if you – didn't step in."

Silence, in which their eyes did not leave each other's. Then he gave her a small smile, murmuring, "I'm just glad I made it in time."

She smiled back, a small and shaky one, one that took distinct effort to make. "I am, too." They stayed like that for a little bit, smiling at each other, before Ruby opened the door and gestured her in with a fake bow, his smile becoming mocking.

"After you."

She shook her head at him, grinning, but nevertheless she walked passed him and below deck. She could hear his footsteps behind her as she retreated to the sleeping quarters, and they quickly joined the rest of the crew in slumber.

* * *

**I always try to write 4,000 words per chapter at least… and, as you can probably tell, this didn't exactly make the mark.**

**Review, please :) If there's pairings you'd like to see, or if you found something funny, or you just like this story, or I messed something up big-time, or you LIKE PIRATES, I'd love to hear from you!**


	6. The Tempest

**Updated later than usual, mostly because I was drawing a picture of Gary Motherfuckin' Oak and ths got a little… sidetracked. Yeah… I'm a fangirl.**

**Thank you to **Rat2rrj**,** Catrina7077** and** mellowzxc **for following and/or putting this in your favorites. And, of course, thanks to my lovely reviewers:**

jjmara**: I tried, I really did. Touchy scenes leave me mentally exhausted, though.**

POKESPE-FAN**: Once you do, do tell me, 'k? ;) Aha, thanks for all the compliments, they really do mean a lot to me :D Backstories are – might – um – oh, shoot, when was I going to put those in – **

pfeffi**: I'm glad you like this as much as I do :) It's hard, getting all these characters to fit together, so I'm glad I'm doing a decent job of it.**

joystersm**: I know, fast, right? But this isn't going to be that long. And I don't think it was rushed… right?**

Kidd Icarus**: I do my best ;) Glad to see you like it!**

blazelight790**: Ah, fluff, one of my many skillz XD I was thinking of putting more Franticshipping in this chapter, but I decided against it because next chapter – weeeeell, you can guess what happens. I'll try to update faster than once a week, but no promises.**

PikaMewGirl**: Thank you! Seems someone has a sweet tooth :D *hands you molasses cookie***

Glaceon1362**: I was thinking the same thing when I wrote that line XD**

**This chapter is a little… hm. I'm not too pleased with it, and I really should go and rewrite it… but…**

**Oh, yeah, before I forget – there's more swearing in this chappie. Just a warning.**

**I don't own Pokemon because otherwise Leaf would be on Mt. Silver instead of Red in HeartGold/Soulsilver. I mean, seriously, people? She is, pardon the profanity, _badass_.**

* * *

Silver had tried to steer them out of its path. He really had. He'd plotted out alternate route and had been instructing Red and Green on how to follow it. They'd done _exactly_ as he ordered. He had had Pearl and Ruby adjusting the sails as necessary. He'd even had Black shout the commands for him because he didn't like shouting.

But in the end, it was all in vain.

"We're done!" Pearl shouted, and he and Ruby shimmied down the ratlines as quickly as possible, rain pounding their bodies. They had just finished rolling up the sails and were not eager to remain so high up; the wind was strong and the ship was tipping side to side. Ruby shivered, not daring to breathe until his boots slammed the _Zaffiro's_ decks.

So _this_ was a storm at sea…

"No one goes below deck!" Sapphire bellowed, somehow being heard above the pounding rain and howling wind and the explosion of waves. "She might go under, we can't risk anyone!"

"She might _sink?_" That was Cheren, his tone several octaves higher than usual in his panic. "But – the records! Everything we have! It's – "

"We're not going to get it back!" White and Black shouted at him, at the exact same time.

Pearl tossed a rope at him, and Ruby caught it, staring at it blankly before looking back up at the blonde. "Tie it around your waist," he ordered, "And get Zuzu. Quickly!"

Ruby realized snapping his fingers wouldn't work in this weather as he tied the rope around him, so instead he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, once, sharply, "_Zuzu!_" The result was instantaneous; his little Mudkip was by his side in a flash, and he scooped up the tiny creature, cradling its shivering body to his chest.

"Infernape, return!"

Ruby turned just in time to see Pearl pocket a – Pokeball? "I thought you didn't – " Ruby began.

Pearl made a shushing gesture at him. "We all have one for emergencies. Green!" he called, throwing the other end of his long rope to the brunette. Green quickly tied it around his waist before giving the last length to Platina, who also attached herself to them and looped it around her Empoleon. It took Ruby a moment to remember that her Empoleon was a powerful swimmer; if they went overboard, it would help them stay afloat.

A particularly violent tilt of the ship caused all four of them to tumble against the railing. Ruby held onto it with one hand for dear life, and Zuzu knew better than to try and adjust the death grip the boy had on it. Green shouted, "Where's Sapphire?"

"I'm fine!" As soon as she said this a wave pummeled the deck, and she screamed as it sank back to the water, bringing it with her. "Or not! _Shit – _"

And that was the last of it. Ruby would've panicked, but then something slammed his head. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a barrel, even as his vision turned black at the edges. "Aw, fuck!" Pearl yelled, scampering over to him. "Ruby, now is not the time to pass out, you hear me? _You hear me?_"

After a moment the blonde realized he was unconscious. Platina screamed as another wave pounded the decks. The captain was gone, who knows where, he couldn't see Dia, in fact, he'd lost track of the four Unova natives too.

Red, from somewhere else on deck, summed up everyone's feelings in a single word.

"_Dammit!_"

* * *

He woke to soft light on his eyelids.

He was lying on something… soft, and his clothes were glued to his body, and there was something nudging his face and squeaking in his ear.

He jerked upright with a gasp, and then proceeded to cough, Zuzu nosing him worriedly all the while. Ruby didn't look at what he'd hacked up, instead casting it far into the sea. Then he looked around, murmuring to Zuzu and stroking its head to tell it he was fine.

Green was conked out nearby, and Platina and Pearl were stirring a little distance ahead. Ruby chuckled; Empoleon had one flipper on each of them. No doubt it had protected them during the entirety of the storm.

The storm!

He slowly got to his feet, observing his surroundings more carefully. Sand, blue waves, shining sun – a deserted island, perhaps? Funny, he'd only read about adventures like these, who would have guessed he'd be _living_ one… "The ship!" he exclaimed, seeing it looking worse-for-wear, moored out deeper into the ocean. He could do something about that…

He looked at his friends. They weren't getting up anytime soon. Well, at least, he thought they wouldn't, but they would be in view even while he did what he was about to do.

"Zuzu?" The little Mudkip looked at him. "You think you could get the ship over to the beach?" The squeak was affirmative. "All right, then. Let's get a little closer."

Once he had determined they were as close as they could get, he dug his boots into the sand and patted the Pokemon's head, telling it, "Go get it, buddy."

Mudkip bounded into the water, disappearing under the water's surface. A few minutes passed; then, slowly but surely, a wave nudged the ship closer to the shore before disappearing. This happened a few more times, and then it glided slowly, groaning all the while, to Ruby, grinding into the sand. Then Zuzu popped his head up from somewhere in the water, squeaking as it trotted back to its master.

The ship slowed to a stop on the sand, and Ruby grabbed and hugged the Mudkip close. "I love you, little guy," he told it as he walked back to where Green and the rest were now beginning to sit up. His Mudkip snuggled closer, before scrambling up to balance primly on his shoulders.

"Where are we?" Green asked as soon as Ruby was close enough. He was quickly standing and stretching his back, bending down with his hand on his knee. His hand held a shrunken Pokeball.

"I'm not sure," Ruby replied as Platina and Pearl made their way toward them, Empoleon waddling slightly behind them.

"It does not have a human population, I think," Platina said as they neared. Pearl had a bloody gash above his eyes, and it must have reopened when he'd gotten up; it was slowly oozing blood, inching down his temple to his ear. Platina also sported a few nasty bruises on her arms, while Green was unmarked and Ruby could feel a bump on the side of his head. As his fingers examined it, he could feel his black hair was caked with his blood.

"Water first," Pearl said after a moment. "After we find that, we can relax."

"Right," Green echoed. He looked at Ruby, and a questioning look came into his eyes. "I didn't know you had scars."

_Crap_. Ruby felt for his headband and indeed, it was missing. "That's why you wear the headband, right? Well, that explains some things," Green mused, mostly to himself. Ruby looked up and was about to speak, but the older boy cut him off. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."

Ruby nodded numbly, looking over at the ship. "Zuzu managed to push it to shore," he said to change the subject, pointing. The other three followed his gaze. "It seems fine, but it does have a hole somewhere, I think."

"Zuzu pushed it?" Ruby nodded and looked into Pearl's orange eyes. "He's tiny! How'd he do it?"

"I'm not sure. I think he used Surf, and then maybe Hydro Pump. I wasn't there to see."

After a moment Platina repeated, "Hydro Pump?"

Zuzu let out an offended-sounding squeak and Ruby huffed, "I _did_ tell you he was strong. He could take on any of your Pokemon, easily."

"I am sorry I doubted you," Platina apologized, gazing earnestly at the Pokemon on his shoulder. She then looked around, brow furrowed in a delicate expression of mild confusion. "Obviously the seawater serves us no great purpose… though we _could_ boil it for salt. Green, do you suppose you could fly around on your Charizard? Perhaps our crewmates will be here."

"I was just about to suggest it," Green replied, releasing his Charizard from his Pokeball. He patted the creature's neck and murmured something in its ear, something Ruby didn't quite catch, before mounted onto the creature's back. "The ship will be our meeting place if we get lost."

"Okay," Ruby agreed as Pearl and Platina nodded. Green voiced a quick command of "Fly" and, after a bit of general flapping, he and Charizard disappeared over the trees.

Wait… trees? "A jungle?" Ruby asked no one in particular, looking from the sea to the trees. What sort of creatures lived here, he wondered.

"Looks like it. Let's hurry and find water," Pearl said, reaching into his pocket and drawing out the Pokeball Ruby had seen earlier. Wordlessly he released the Pokemon within, giving the Infernape a good pat on the shoulder before tromping off into the foliage.

"Do not get lost," Platina called after him. Then she sighed and looked over at Ruby. "I suppose – one of us should stay here. You should rest; you look utterly drained. I will look for sustenance and will return shortly." She gave a quick gesture to Empoleon, who nodded and waddled after her as she slowly walked along the beach.

Ruby dragged himself to the ship and sank onto the sand, sitting with his legs straight out and his arms supporting him. Zuzu leapt up onto his lap and curled up there, letting out some sort of growl-purr when Ruby stroked the lithe Pokemon. Arceus, he was tired. His body was not used to being tossed around by ten-foot waves like a rag doll, and he was aching.

And what about everyone else? Red, and Blue, and Yellow, Gold, Crystal, Silver, and – and Dia, and White, and Black, Cheren and Bianca, and – and –

Sapphire.

"Please don't let her be dead," he whispered to himself, leaning forward and resting his forehead on his folded hands. "Please, _please_ don't let her be dead." Because if she were dead, she would never know it was _him_… _He_ was the one she'd known all those years ago… Because if she were dead…

He let out a slow, shuddering breath. He loved her. He couldn't lose her.

In just one night, his world had been turned upside down, all he knew was going up in flames, it was too soon, too quick, too sudden… why did he lose sight of her so easily?

Zuzu squeaked and bumped its head against his hand. Ruby exhaled slowly, leaning back and starting to pet the creature once more. "You're right, Zuzu," he murmured, mostly to himself. "There's nothing I can do right now, so there's no use worrying." His Mudkip nodded in agreement. Ruby slowly got to his feet, wincing as his legs protested violently.

"Find a way into the boat?" Ruby asked his Pokemon. His Mudkip squeaked and splashed into the water, looking back once and obviously wanting Ruby follow it. Ruby did, ignoring the scratches along his legs that burned as the saltwater seeped in. Soon enough, Mudkip had found the hole in the ship, bobbing in the water and indicating he would have to dive down.

Ruby sighed, grabbed Mudkip's offered back paw, and dove down, keeping hold of the Pokemon and following him blindly. After a moment of kicking, Mudkip led him up, and there he was, inside what looked to be the sleeping quarters.

Hammocks, paper, chess pieces – everything was scattered everywhere, looking very much like a very wet tornado had gone through. Hurricane, that was what it was called. Ruby ignored the clutter, going through the slightly tilted ship until he stood up on the deck, sunlight blaring down at him. The sails were still rolled up, but the ratlines looked to be ripped and torn. They would need more rope, and Ruby cast his eyes to the trees on shore. The plant stuff would be thicker than he was used to and harder to shape as he wanted, but it would make a sturdy rope if he braided strands of the fibrous palm together.

"At least I'm not entirely useless," Ruby said jokingly to Zuzu, picking up the small creature and placing it on his shoulder. "It looks like we have a lot of work ahead for us." Ruby descended back to the destroyed sleeping quarters, diving back through the hole and staggering onto the beach.

He was peeling long strands of the leaf off when Platina returned, toting what looked to be some sort of berry. "It is not much," she admitted as she got closer, her Empoleon carrying more behind her, "But at least it is food."

Ruby took the one she handed to him and peered at it. He had seen it before, somewhere – most likely in a cookbook. He took a careful bite and almost immediately started to gag. "Does it taste bad?" Platina asked him, metallic eyes wide.

Ruby coughed a bit, holding his elbow over his mouth. "Not really," he said hoarsely as soon as his coughing fit was over. "The taste just kind of surprised me." He took another bite, carefully chewing and swallowing, and then took another. "It's fine. Not a lot of water, though, so hopefully Pearl will find the source soon."

Platina plopped down on the sand, holding a pale hand to Zuzu. The Mudkip sniffed it once before letting the girl pet its head. Ruby continued to stand, looking around the island. It was truly paradise here; soft breezes, shining sun, lapping waves…

Voices came to him then. Familiar ones. Both he and Platina turned to the noise when a whole party of people burst through the foliage, talking and laughing. Green was walking with them, his Charizard tromping along next to him. Once he spied the pair, he went over to them, a huge grin on his face.

"Look what I found," he said with a note of pride, gesturing to the group. Ruby counted with his eyes: Blue, Red, Yellow, Silver, Gold, Crystal – everyone was here.

Everyone – everyone, except – "Sapphire?" he asked, his voice pathetically small and shaky.

Green's smile faded and he shook his head once. "No one's seen her."

Ruby turned away, sitting down on the sand with one graceful motion, doing his best effort to control his breathing and the tears that threatened to spill. Sapphire couldn't be dead. She just – couldn't.

Arceus – if she were dead… where would that leave him?

"We'll keep looking," Green was saying, barely penetrating Ruby's numb mind. "Knowing the captain, she's probably cursing and muttering and chopping her way through this with her Blaziken."

Platina chuckled. "No doubt."

Zuzu butted his master's leg, instantly gaining his attention, and purr-growled as the boy mechanically scratched behind its head fin. Ruby took in a shuddering breath, clamping down on his sadness and twisting it away into a small corner of his mind. He couldn't lose focus now. He'd pulled through the beatings and his father's betrayal; surely this, though the gravity of it was far worse, couldn't be much harder.

After a moment, he resumed braiding again, fingers moving quickly and efficiently. He was proud to see they barely shook, and while the tears remained, they did not show. He was heartless, all for the sake of survival.

He pricked himself and scowled, staring at the drop of blood welling up on his fingertip.

Arceus damn it.

But what Ruby meant by that, he didn't know.

* * *

_Arceus likes to make my life shit, doesn't he?_

She just had to go get herself separated from everyone. Now she was all by herself. Again.

She shivered. She would even be going through woodlands – well, a jungle, but close enough. _Déjà vu_.

She took out the Pokeball from her trouser pocket (_Thank Arceus it didn't fall out_) and released Toro from its ball. "First things first," she said to it, brushing sand off of her clothes. "Water."

Her Blaziken nodded, and together the pair went into the jungle. It was alive with sound, and Sapphire's sharp ears could detect the flutter of bug-type Pokemon and the stomps of more land-dwelling ones. She and Toro steered clear of them, not eager to exhaust themselves in a fight.

Only a few minutes later they came across a spring, and when Sapphire tasted the water she did not taste any salt. "This isn't a bad place to stay, for the moment," she mused, looking across the small body of water. If they kept a fire going they should have no problems with the native Pokemon, and luckily for Sapphire her Blaziken could do that easily.

"Shelter next," Sapphire murmured, and after she instructed Toro to fetch short, sturdy branches she began to find thick leaves she could layer for the roof. As much as she liked rain, it wasn't a pleasant experience to sleep in it, and she had awoken with a bad cold the one time she had tried. Gold had made fun of her for weeks.

She had amassed a rather large pile of the strangely fibrous leaves when Toro returned, toting a number of long branches over its shoulder. It efficiently chopped them into equal lengths, and Sapphire wasted no time in finding somewhere to lean them against, finding a large, relatively flat stone that would suit her purposes (_there must've been a waterfall here a long time ago,_ Sapphire noted, running her fingers over the smooth surface).

The lean-to was only large enough for one human, so Toro agreed to stay in its Pokeball if it ever rained at night. The pair then layered the leaves on the lean-to, Sapphire easily tying them in place with fibers she had peeled from other leaves. This place was teeming with supplies, especially considered it seemed to be unpopulated by humans…

Sapphire placed the leftover branches in the shelter; it was always wise to have dry wood on hand. Then she prepared a fire pit, carefully laying stones in a circle so the fire wouldn't spread, while Toro gathered more wood to burn. Sapphire had to laugh at how efficiently the two did everything they needed to. Toro was her best partner, the one who knew her best and worked perfectly with her.

Toro carefully used a small Ember attack to light the kindling, and soon enough Sapphire had it into a blaze. It was absolutely stifling in the already warm, humid air, but with this, someone could see the smoke and maybe, just maybe, come find her.

She clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and prayed to Arceus that her crewmates were still alive, concentrating on each of their faces: Red with his easy grin, Green with his quick scowl, Blue with her evil smirk, Yellow with her soft brown eyes… She had just moved on from recalling Cheren's annoyed look when she frowned. She was missing someone… who had she skipped over?

Oh, right. Of course. Her newest member, Ruby – she blinked when she remembered his face. It was – he was – it – he – what – when – _when_ –

When had he suddenly become so important to her? She rubbed a knuckle against her forehead, half-aware of Toro rising to scavenge for food to give its trainer some peace. When had his scarlet eyes captivated her, when had his light (albeit rare) laugh entranced her, when had his snarky personality grown on her?

Why did he have to be so similar to the boy from all those years ago? If she hadn't sworn to find the boy from her past she would've let herself get closer to Ruby. And then she remembered: she had. She'd already told him everything about herself. His reaction, though – his reaction bothered her. It was like he knew what she had felt, almost, but that was impossible. He was the son of Norman, the richest man in Petalburg City! It was impossible for him to have experienced something as horrible as she had.

Still… something about him…

She huffed a frustrated sigh, absently accepting the berry Toro offered her as it sat across from her, throwing more wood on the fire. She bit into it; an Oran berry, far more delicious than she was used to, probably because it grew in the wild.

She lay flat on the rock, eyes looking up at the sky above, munching on her berry. With any luck, someone would see the smoke, that someone being a fellow crewmate, and come to her.

Though with the luck she was having, she wouldn't be surprised if she got run over by a Steelix.

_My life is just not fair._

* * *

**Review, please? :)_  
_**


	7. Revelations

**What's that? I started writing again? THAT'S RIGHT. Little sick ol' me started writing again. DAYS AND DAYS LATER. I swear. This sucks. THIS SUCKS. CURSE YOU, WEAK IMMUNE SYSTEM!**

**Thanks to **Gur40goku**,** Rizzo-P**,** Random Visitor Girl **and** thedancingcricket** for following and/or adding this to your favorites :D **

**Special shout-out to **Kackijax** for following me as an author! Thanks much! **

**Thanks for all the nice reviews wishing me to get well! :') I really love everything you've done to support me, whether it be reviewing, following, putting this in your favorites or simply reading! I really do! :)**

**I own the plot, some other things, and that's about it.**

* * *

Ruby, naturally, saw it first.

"Smoke!" he exclaimed, pointing his finger in the direction of the plumes. Indeed, gray clouds puffed up slowly, languidly, as if they had all the time in the world to rise and dissipate.

"Why would there be smoke here?" White asked, temporarily putting down the fibers she had been braiding together. She, Ruby and a few others were working on the task.

"It could be a fire-type," Bianca suggested. She and Diamond were whipping up a meal from the assorted berries the Sinnoh trio had gathered. "Maybe it just set something on fire."

"Or," Yellow pointed out, efficiently sewing up Gold's torn shirt, "It could be a smoke signal from Sapphire."

"We don't have time to look," Cheren snapped from nearby. He was sorting through the things the Kanto four had salvaged from the ship, which, to the boy's relief, included the ship logs. "Look at all we have to do!"

Ruby bit his lip and looked down, returning his attention to his half-finished braid. He could see the truth in Cheren's words. But Yellow, with her keen brown eyes, didn't miss his disappointment.

"Ruby." Her junior looked up. "If you really want to, you could poke around, see if there's anything going on over there."

No words could describe how grateful he was to her. He snapped his fingers once, summoning Zuzu to his side, and was making his way through the foliage in a flash.

"Did I miss something?" Emerald asked after a moment, sitting cross-legged on the ground and pulling Ruby's rope to him, intent on finishing it

The three girls present rolled their eyes and even Cheren barked a laugh at the boy's obliviousness. But it was White who said scornfully, "Haven't you noticed the way they look at each other?"

Bianca added with a smile, "Sapphire thinks she's hiding it so well, but we all remember that one time at night when she finally got him to sleep. They were both bright red."

Cheren added, "Ruby's always watching her, when he's not busy with the sails. And he loves trying out new recipes on her, since she eats practically anything, but he always takes special pleasure when she likes it." The other five looked at him and he shrugged, his dark blue overcoat shimmering with the movement. "What can I say? I like to observe people."

"You boys really didn't notice anything?" Yellow asked of Diamond and Emerald. Dia shook his head and Emerald grinned sheepishly. She shook her head, amused, and returned to her sewing. "I guess there really is something called feminine intuition."

"Excuse me, but I am not a female."

"Oh, shush, Cheren," White said dismissively. "Everyone knows girls are better than boys, anyway."

"_Hey!_"

* * *

Ruby kept his eyes trained on the plumes of smoke, one hand brushing undergrowth away from him and the other keeping Zuzu balanced on his shoulder. It was slow going, especially with the humidity and, great Arceus, the _heat_, but he was determined to continue on.

After all, what would he be if he let this one chance to find _her_ pass up? A coward, and a moron, and everything else in between. He'd been a coward for so many years he was sick of it, and, well, his previous antics could easily be labeled moronic, that was for sure.

In any case, this was Sapphire he was talking about. If he lost Sapphire, he might as well lose the whole world.

Not that he'd ever tell her that.

But he knew, and that was enough. Hopefully.

Zuzu squeaked at him in alarm when something rustled nearby – far too close for comfort. Ruby froze, slowly poising his hands in a defensive position and shifting his feet ever so slightly. The rustling came again, closer, and Ruby willed his heartbeat to slow and his breathing to be silent.

Then a Heracross came into view at the corner of his vision. Ruby's eyes narrowed; _what a disturbingly hideous creature._ He took a quiet step back, checking the ground for dry leaves or twigs or whatever else might give him away. No need to start a battle; it would serve him no purpose, and in any case, he had better things to do.

So naturally, he tripped over an entirely nonexistent pebble. He did that a lot in choice moments of his life.

The Heracross snapped its head up, large eyes quickly pinpointing the source of the noise. The Pokemon obviously thought they were suspicious, as it lowered its head and began what seemed to be a charge. Ruby swore out loud before commanding Zuzu, "Water Gun!" As soon as the attack hit its target Ruby bolted, aiming for the smoke that he knew was somewhere in front of him.

This did not go as planned, as the Heracross gave chase. Ruby swore again, lifting a hand and keeping Zuzu on his shoulder as the little Pokemon turned around. "Try to stop it, Zuzu!" he ordered, increasing his speed and barely wincing as branches and twigs scratched at his arms and legs. His clothes, which he had repaired, could deal with more damage. Besides, he had extra thread in his pocket, he could easily thread the cloth back together once he – once he –

Stopped? Found Sapphire? Ruby forced it out of his mind, focusing on running and running only. It was his priority to escape, wasn't it? After all, he –

He swore again, keeping his legs moving. He could defeat the Heracross easily. Why was he running away?

His father's words echoed in his ears. _You're too precious to let go, Ruby. Stay in the house. The world is a dangerous place, unfit for a frail boy like you_. Ruby gritted his teeth. To hell with it; he would prove to his father, and himself, that he could do what anyone else could.

"Zuzu, remember that move we were practicing? Back h – I mean, back when we were at Petalburg?" he asked in a rush, slowing his pace. He could feel the Mudkip nod. "Why don't we try it out?"

He got an affirmative squeak, so he whirled around, crossing his arms to block the Heracross's incoming blow. It was a stupid move in retrospect; the Heracross merely put its horn between his arms and his chest and sent him flying up into the trees. Ruby's body, though battered, had been through worse, so after a brief tussle with the branches he landed on his feet on the jungle's floor, Zuzu standing in front of him.

As the Heracross charged again he said, "Zuzu, Ice Beam." The attack, which Ruby calculated to be extremely effective against a bug-type unused to the cold, hit the Heracross dead-on. It was more slush than ice, but at least his Mudkip was getting the hang of it, and it left the other Pokemon stunned on the ground, cold and slightly frozen.

"Let's go," Ruby said, scooping up his Pokemon and checking its body for wounds. It was relatively unmarked, though it had a few scratches on its legs. Ruby dabbed the dirt away with a part of his shirt, murmuring compliments to the Mudkip all the while as he walked. In all honesty, Zuzu was the best Mudkip in the world.

After a moment, Ruby looked up and saw the smoke was very close; the fire was only a few yards away. He paused, hesitant. What, exactly, would he say if it _were_ Sapphire? Several cheesy lines came up at once, ones that he dismissed nearly as quickly. Zuzu nudged his master's shoulder, curious as to why he was pausing, and Ruby sighed, placing the creature on his shoulder. He might as well just walk and see what happened. Perhaps if he improvised, he would say something _intelligent_ for once –

Which is when he felt a piercing stab to his back. He still managed to squeak out another few words as he went flying – "Damn that Heracross!" – only half-aware and landed with a splash. A splash? He was in water?

Well _that_ was just grand. "Zuzu?" he called, treading water. The Mudkip was paddling easily next to him. "Jeez, that thing's persistent," he grumbled, noting the water was shallow enough that he could stand. He did so, making his way toward dry land, eyeing the surrounding foliage for the bug-type. But it was as if it had vanished. When Ruby stepped onto dry land, this time keeping his guard up, he could sense the attack before it came.

He whirled swiftly, grabbing the offending – thing and twisting it, hard. An enraged shriek of "Hey!" immediately made him release it from his grip, which could have broken an arm had he pulled harder, though he still let his fingers grip whatever it was.

"I wasn't trying to hurt you, Arceus dammit!" Oh, he knew that voice anywhere.

He looked up and met blue eyes. It really was Sapphire. _Smooth, Ruby. _He had grabbed her arm and nearly broken it. That would've been a problem, had he actually broken it…

Then he realized he was still holding her arm – her hand, actually, and he released it, a faint blush on his cheeks. "My apologies," he said, embarrassed. He was further embarrassed by the eyebrow raise he earned from her and the amused sound Zuzu made from his feet.

Her eyes ran over his body. Observing him. Examining him.

"You're really alive," she whispered, and Ruby blinked. He'd been standing here for a good thirty seconds. Of course he was alive. Really, even a person with clouds for brains could've figured that out sooner than she had –

Which is when he realized she had her arms around his neck, her face against his shoulder. She was _hugging_ him.

Good Arceus – what – what – _what in the world was he supposed to do?_

_Hugging her back might be a good start_, the logical part of his brain said helpfully. Ruby complied, carefully placing his arms around her waist, mystified at his captain's out-of-character antics, fully aware that he was blushing furiously and marveling at the relief he felt as he realized she was _safe_.

After a few more moments she released him, her hands flying to her mouth. "I – did – um – I – um – I – didn't-mean-to-really-I-didn't – " Then her eyes went up to his forehead. More specifically, his scars. Her mouth closed and her eyes widened.

Ruby watched this with apparent mild interest while instead he was drinking her in, so damn _relieved_ she was alive that nothing really mattered to him anymore. She was looking at his scars – so what? – and then he realized: oh dear. She was probably going to get mad at him for not telling him sooner.

Her fingers rose and lightly traced the scars up to his hairline. Her touch sent shivers down his spine. "Where did you get these?" she asked quietly. Her tone was deadly soft, and Ruby repressed a quiver as he looked into her blue eyes.

"I was scratched," he mumbled, breaking eye contact and looking down, folding his hands behind his back. By her silence he assumed she wanted him to continue, so he muttered, "By a – "

"Persian." Her tone was clipped, certain. "Right?"

He nodded, and she said quietly, "When you were running away from a pirate captain."

He nodded again and added, "When I looked back to see what was chasing – us. You remember, of course."

"Of course." After a moment, she seemed to realize what he said. "Wait a minute. You didn't tell me this when I told you – that night on the ship – when I told you what – what happened to me – "

"_Us_," he interrupted before she could finish. He scratched the back of his neck, self-consciously. "I wasn't sure if it was the right time – "

"Right time?" The scorn in her voice burned his ears. "_Right time?_ Ruby, I've been searching for Ruby, I've been searching for _years_ only to find out it was you, and you didn't tell me because you didn't think it was the _right time?_"

Ruby was expecting her to hit him, but soon he knew that wasn't enough for her. Sapphire never did things in halves, so as he watched as she spun expertly on one foot, the other twirling around, he knew immediately she was going for a kick.

He did the natural thing – he closed his eyes, prayed to Arceus for mercy, and managed not to scream when her foot nailed him on the side of his stomach, sending him flying back into the water he'd just swum out of.

"You _idiot!_" she fumed as Ruby slowly dragged himself back out of the water, aided by Zuzu's helpful little nudges. As soon as he had pulled himself up she grabbed his collar and held him up in the air – not exactly a feat for her, considering the wiry muscles. Ruby stared down at her, almost impassive. "You did it on purpose, didn't you! Just to, to, _torment_ me!"

_She looks kinda cute when she's angry_, Ruby thought through the haze of pain, and he couldn't stop the small smile that tugged the corner of his lips upward. Sapphire immediately slapped him, yelling something about being condescending, or patronizing, or sarcastic, or something. Ruby just waited for her to get it all out; once she did, he could talk to her like a normal human being again. But until then…

He let out an inaudible sigh, focusing his eyes onto her face as he dangled. She was just yelling at him at the moment, something he tuned out with relative ease as he carefully prodded his waist where she had kicked him. He in haled sharply at the pain; he'd have a bruise there for sure. And his cheek was burning with white-hot pain, so he'd probably have a mark there for a few days. He was moping about the loss of his blemish-free face when she abruptly dropped him, grabbing his shoulders before he fell backwards into the water again.

"I hate you," she grumbled, and Ruby knew the storm had passed.

"Of course," he replied, taking her hands off of his shoulders but not letting them go. "You want to go back to the others?"

She looked down at their interlocked hands, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. Ruby resisted the urge to smile again because, well, she was just so freaking _adorable_.

Which was when Zuzu butted Ruby's leg, squeaking in an agitated manner. Ruby released her hands and turned around in one graceful motion, examining the area for whatever caused the Mudkip's uneasiness. "Sapphire, you have a Blaziken, right?"

It took her a moment to gather her thoughts, not that Ruby was watching. "Um, yeah. Toro."

"Where is it?"

"She," she corrected automatically. "Dunno. I imagine she'll be back when she feels like it."

As soon as the words left her mouth Toro tromped onto the scene, and Ruby started laughing when he saw what she'd thrown over her shoulder. "A Heracross?" Sapphire asked the Pokemon, watching as the Blaziken lowered the unconscious bug to the ground. "Looks like it was frozen and then scorched…"

Toro made a quiet noise to Sapphire and the girl reared back from the bug, eyes wide in surprise as she shouted, "No, you can't eat that! Good Arceus, Toro, why would you want to eat a _bug_, anyway?!"

Sapphire cast a quick look at Ruby, whose back was to her, shoulders shaking. Zuzu was balanced on his shoulder and gave the girl an innocent glance as Ruby let out a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort. "Okay, we're leaving," she decided, stalking over and jabbing his shoulder with a finger. "Where's the rest of the crew?"

Ruby immediately straightened up, and when he looked at her there wasn't even a trace of a smile. She blinked, impressed, as he said calmly, "This way."

She raised an eyebrow when he didn't start walking right away. "_Which_ way?"

He shook his head, a small smile on his face, and started walking confidently into the foliage. Zuzu was padding along ahead of him, and Sapphire and Toro were quick to follow.

Behind him, Ruby heard Sapphire say hotly, "_No_, Toro, you can't bring that Heracross with you. It's not even dead, just put it _down_ for Arceus's sake!"

LINE line LINE line

After numerous misadventures in the jungle (Ruby lost sight of Sapphire and had to backtrack to find her again, resulting in her hitting him for leaving her behind), they finally arrived back to the beach near sunset.

"Finally!" White exclaimed, jumping to her feet and running to them as they walked onto the beach, Pokemon trailing. "We thought you'd died or something," she told Ruby cheerfully, patting them both on the back and leading them toward where she'd been sitting previously.

"Eh, something like that," Ruby said offhandedly, not about to risk a glance at Sapphire. He had been abused enough today.

"Everyone's here?" Sapphire demanded of Cheren. He, White, Yellow, Dia, Bianca and Emerald were still sitting in the same spot as the morning, with a long length of braided rope resting in the middle of their impromptu circle.

Cheren nodded, yanking the sleeves of his overcoat back up as they slipped down to his elbows. "Now that you 're here, yes."

Ruby noticed Emerald staring; he gave him a curious glance to which Emerald swiftly looked away. "We have food," Bianca volunteered, handing the two some berries. "Me n' Dia made a salad with them, but it looks like it's already been eaten."

Sapphire examined the berry she was given while Ruby simply bit into it (his logic was that it was food, and even if he didn't like it he had to eat it). "There's so much variety here," she mused, poking the soft flesh of what appeared to be a Pecha berry. "I had an Oran berry before this."

"We found lots of Liechi berries here, too," Dia said. He was currently peeling the skin off of a Payapa berry. "They're really sour, though – not exactly the best things to eat."

_So_ that's_ the berry I had earlier_, Ruby thought to himself, finishing the sweet Pecha berry with a few quick, efficient bites. "How's the ship going?" he asked.

"Fine, thanks for asking." Nine heads turned to see Pearl walking toward them, a net thrown loosely over his shoulder. "Green has everything planned out to patch the hole; the rest of the sailors are already on it. Cheren, some sort of net for you – "

"Fishing net, excellent. White, do you suppose you could – "

"Sure, sure, whatever. You're lazy, you know that? Hey, Bianca, come with me?"

"No problem! You grab that corner."

As the two girls walked off, holding the net between them, Pearl asked, "What are they doing?"

Cheren gave the blonde a withering look. "Fishing, of course. What else would one do with fishing net?"

"Where's Platina?" Ruby asked, suddenly noticing the bluenette's absence. She was never without Pearl or Dia, and since they were both here he was surprised she wasn't.

"At the moment, she is training with the water-types," Pearl replied promptly. "She's not too good at what she calls 'manual labor', but she knows how to train. This way, no one is lazing about." The blonde registered Sapphire's nod of approval with a grin. "I'm going back to work, and you should, too. We've got a lot to do."

And then: "Wait… when did you get here, Captain?"

* * *

**Since my final statement last chapter wasn't too great (cough cough _pokefan_ cough cough), I'm lengthening it. Happy now?**

**And now for a rant. You may want to just skip over it. Of course you won't, though. Here we go. *deep breath***

**So. This chapter. UGH this chapter. It. Was. So. Hard. I thought Ruby might die, actually, but him being a manga character doesn't help much… Ahem. Fluff is so hard! ROMANCE is so hard! I don't even know why, but it just doesn't come naturally to me. It uses up so much of my brain cells that by the time I write one paragraph I'm like 'I am DONE writing for the next hour, thank you'. AND THEN THE RUBY FINDS SAPPHIRE SCENE. OH MUH GAWD. That was terrible. That took me the longest to write, actually. DAMMIT, chappie, why are you so hard to _write_? WHYYYYYYY – *breaks out coughing* And this! This! *gestures to self* Of all the times to have – I HAVE WHOOPING COUGH, and it's frickin' SUMMER! What the hell?! WHOOPING COUGH, OF ALL THINGS – *starts coughing again***


	8. Batten the Hatches

**All reviewers/people who follow and/or favorite/readers in general, I am very thankful - it truly means a lot to me - and won't reply individually because I want to get this thing up and running.**

**In other words: it's an update, guys. I AM BACK. This is officially OFF HIATUS.**

**(but don't expect another one for a while. Sorry, friends.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the characters. I do, however, own the plot.**

* * *

After everything had been sorted – that is, everyone was informed of Sapphire being found, repairs had been completed for the day, a fire had been lit and a proper meal with gathered fruits and such had been made – everyone sat down to discuss the next course of action.

Everyone, that is, except Gold and Black. Ruby had never seen an argument so violent, escalating to the point where White said that Black was nearing an 'episode'.

"At some point we'll have to step in," she said offhandedly, talking around the Pecha berry she'd stuffed in her mouth. By 'we' she meant Cheren, Bianca and herself. "But for now, we'll just let 'em do whatever."

"It's been a long day," Bianca agreed gravely, adding with slight amusement, "The frustration has to go somewhere." This earned her wry grins around the fire, though some of the more cantankerous members merely rolled their eyes and ignored the shenanigans proceeding around them.

Cheren snorted. "Don't remind me. You did _not_ want to be on that ship when Gold got pissed earlier today. I barely escaped with my life."

"That's overboard," Red protested with his mouth half-full. The comment earned him dry looks from the sailors who'd been there – Green, namely, but also Blue, Silver, Crystal, Pearl and Emerald – and a rueful shake of the head from Yellow.

More alarmingly, as Red said this, Black let out a bloodcurdling screech and hurled himself at Gold, the words lost in the sheer pitch of the noise. Gold screamed something back, slamming the younger boy away with a well-placed kick to the stomach. Ruby winced in sympathy as the brunet hit the sand hard, but even despite that mule's kick, he sprang to his feet and lunged at his opponent without looking the least bit winded.

After a few minutes of watching the fight progress, right up until one of Black's punches knocked Gold's head to the side and drew blood, White stood up with a sigh. "I got this," she said wearily when Cheren and Bianca made a move to help her. Ruby watched with interest as she walked over, waited for the right moment, and then grabbed both boys by the scuff of their necks and bashed their foreheads together. A collective hiss of sympathy arose from those who were not involve, only increasing in volume when White proceeded to do it once more.

"That's gonna leave a mark in the morning," Sapphire remarked from next to him, and murmurs of agreement went around the fire.

Diamond said quietly, "White can be pretty vicious when she feels like it." Pearl and Platina besides him gave solemn nods, the latter perched delicately on the sand while the former had placed himself near but not too near to his charge.

Cheren rolled his eyes, a move that was becoming increasingly less dramatic the more times Ruby witnessed it, and said snidely, "She still needs to work on her Pokemon battles, though."

Bianca swatted his arm with a gentle frown on her pretty, round face. "Be nice. She didn't have as much practice as us before – you know." Cheren's expression immediately sobered, and he returned his eyes back to the ship log resting on his lap without a word, a pen balanced expertly in his fingers. Ruby longed to ask what had happened to the Unovians, but after hearing the Sinnoh trio's story, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea. Sapphire's crew was very motley indeed.

"What's Black like during an episode?" he instead asked, directing it at the two Unovians.

The other boy shuddered and didn't look up, his writing utensil flashing across the page in front of him. "Personality switch. Trust me, you like quiet, calm calculating Black a whole lot better." Bianca hummed in agreement, biting daintily into the Cheri berry in her hands.

Gold sat down next to Ruby with a grunt, running his fingers across his face as blood oozed from his hairline. Black was forced down by White across the flames, looking dazed and fingering the new lump on his own forehead. "Here," White said, offering a berry to Black as she placed herself elegantly down next to him. The move was so graceful Ruby had to wonder if she had training as a dancer.

In any case the brunet took it and bit down absentmindedly, brown eyes focused onto the fire in front of him. Then abruptly he gagged and started coughing, holding the berry away from his mouth and using his other arm to cover his face. Ruby could hear the mockery in White's voice: "Oops, was that a little spicy? So sorry, Black."

"I'm – going to kill you," the other gasped out, but he was smiling when he tossed the remainder of the berry in the fire and took a Pecha berry instead. He and the rest of the Unovians scooted into a small group and began to murmur amongst themselves, ignoring everyone else around them.

After a moment of watching the group huddle, their voices hushed and lost in the slight breeze, Emerald turned to Blue and, probably to break the silence, asked, "Cards?"

The Kanto native grinned and seemingly slipped a whole deck out of her nonexistent sleeve. Ruby raised an eyebrow, impressed; he'd have to ask her how she did that, especially so as she did not have her overcoat on and thus, no sleeve. "Anyone up for poker?"

"She cheats," Green cautioned him almost immediately, green eyes narrowed. The warning earned him an indignant noise from his friend, which he ignored spectacularly, that is, he simply did not give a shit. "She'll swindle all of your money off you if you play."

Ruby had had a deck of cards back home – and he and those 52 slips of paper had had a lot of bonding time during his years growing up. Still, he wasn't willing to bet what little he had earned just yet, so when Blue offered him some cards he shook his head and instead watched Sapphire take the offered hand.

He wondered it if was wrong that his eyes focused on her fingers, rough from work on the ship yet lithe and limber for reasons he did not quite fathom. He also wondered if anyone noticed him staring.

Eventually, Blue had gotten three other members to play: Emerald, Silver, and surprisingly enough, Crystal. Gold probably would've as well, but he was lying flat on the sand and staring distractedly into the distance, so Ruby guessed the head-bonking had subdued the guy's somewhat insane personality. And, as Green had predicted, Blue won most rounds and had a tidy sum until Sapphire distracted her and Silver swiped the money back; Yellow explained to Ruby that this occurred often enough whenever they played, for no one was really willing to let go of the wages they earned.

"Interesting way to go about things," he commented as Blue tried to get her 'well-deserved' money from Silver. The redhead, however, was dodging her outstretched hand with practiced ease, pocketing his share while simultaneously giving the rest to his mates that had been playing.

Yellow shrugged, a graceful and smooth motion that accented the small, charming smile on her face. "When's to say we're not interesting?"

He hummed in agreement and summoned Zuzu over to him with a snap of his fingers. Then, as he did almost every night, the Mudkip settled into his lap and let out something that resembled a purr as his master ran his fingers over its body, searching for traces of dirt and grit. By now most people were used to this and did not look at it as anything out of ordinary; however, a few, such as Sapphire, eyed it with unreadable expressions.

Noticing her gaze, she said slightly defensively, "The Mudkip goes swimming, for Arceus's sake. It doesn't need to be _cleaned_."

"I disagree with that," Platina interrupted smoothly. She did not even look up from her game of chess with Pearl – while some of the pieces were missing, they made do and created more using twigs and leaves. "My Empoleon always has dirt packed within its wings. Ruby is doing his Pokemon a service."

"At least _someone_ understands," Ruby muttered, his voice as haughty as he could make it. He neatly avoided Sapphire's punch by ducking his head, and he grinned when Pearl and Red snickered. Their captain shot them both a look that could have peeled paint, but while the Sinnoh native cowered the older boy's grin merely widened.

The silence that followed was filled only by the Unovians' quiet conversation and the gentle lap of the ocean against the shore. Finally, Sapphire asked, "When's the _Zaffiro_ going to be ready to sail?"

All heads, even Black and Gold's, turned to Green, as he was the armorer and carpenter. The brunet looked up from the flames, having been staring as he'd leaned over and rested his elbows on his knees, and cleared his throat before speaking. "Well," he said, falling silent for a moment as he thought. Then he told everyone, "Soon."

"How soon is 'soon'?" Blue queried, having been unsuccessful of regaining the money from Silver and consequently given up. The two were leaning against each other, the very picture of siblings who enjoyed each other's company.

Green shrugged at her question, keeping his eyes down. "Depending how much wood we get tomorrow, maybe three days? The hole isn't very big, and the ship is mostly intact."

"What about the mast?" Ruby inquired, curious. As far as he knew, masts were often torn right off the ship during bad storms like the one they'd been in, and they were imperative for a ship to sail. After all, how could one expect a hull of that size to move without a sail?

"We were lucky," Green answered promptly. "It's still attached, though it did split and fall, crushing sections of the railing and part of the deck. With the Pokemon's help it shouldn't be too difficult to fix."

"Thank goodness, I miss civilization," Crystal murmured, to which the others nodded. She pinched a few pieces of hair between her fingers and rubbed them together, frowning at the grit laced within the strands. "Maybe we'll actually get to take a bath later."

"If Arceus wills it," Silver muttered, and the following silence was filled only by the crackling of the fire and the rustle of the wind through the trees' leaves.

"All right, then, people," Sapphire said, clapping her hands once, sharply, to get everyone's attention. She paused until she was sure all were listening, and then she told them, "Sleep in the ship for extra safety. Watches will be three hours long, two people per. Get enough rest because tomorrow we'll be working out asses off." She gave everyone a severe look, meeting everyone's eyes for at least two seconds, including Ruby's, before asking, "Who wants first watch?"

"How about you and Ruby take it?" Blue suggested, then proceeded to snicker. Most of the other girls minus Crystal joined her, covering smiles with their hands, while Red and Green exchanged glances and Cheren and others merely rolled their eyes.

His captain was about to say no, most likely vehemently – Ruby could tell – so he shrugged and said, before she got the refusal out, "Fine with me."

"Givin' up on subtle, eh, Ruby?" Gold commented with what could be described as a leer from his position on the ground. Crystal leaned down and elbowed him in the ribs, hard enough that he flinched to the side and let out a mewling whimper, though it was obviously exaggerated for effect. Sapphire looked downright furious as Ruby simply grinned lazily and flapped a hand, and Gold proceeded to snicker, and then Emerald began crooning the most sultry love song he knew and the girl captain snapped.

"Git," Sapphire snarled, blue eyes flashing dangerously, and obligingly everyone else stood up, collected the equipment and ropes that had been half-built, and languidly made their way to the _Zaffiro_. They were laughing and talking as they went; it was nice to see that even in a time of crisis, everyone was still happy and making the best of it. Ruby had never seen such optimism anywhere until he'd joined them.

There was silence for a while as Ruby stared at the fire, stroking the Mudkip on his lap, and Sapphire fidgeted uncomfortably. Toro was in the ship with the rest of the Pokemon, and while Ruby encouraged Zuzu to make friends, the water-type shied away from the company of the others due to their sheer size. He always wondered if his Mudkip was lonely, as he ran his fingers over his Pokemon's head and felt the little creature vibrate with the adorable purr-growl of his.

Then, her voice cut through the night: "What happened after I was caught?"

The question came out of nowhere, but Ruby knew exactly what she was talking about, his fingers stilling for a moment before continuing to stroke Zuzu. "After the pirates got you, I just ran for home," he said simply, tracing the fin on the top of his Mudkip's head. "Dad came back some time later bruised and bloody, and then he locked me up and disappeared and I never went outside again."

She watched him carefully for a moment, noting how he kept his head down and his eyes focused on the little Pokemon on his lap. He started when she stood up suddenly, walked over to him, and plopped herself down next to him and leaned into his shoulder. After a moment's hesitation, he rested his head on her own, breathing in her scent and closing his eyes to slits. Arceus, he _loved_ her, this was not some sort of childish crush, he couldn't bear to lose her again…

"I thought about you a lot when I was running," she said quietly. Her blue eyes were focused on Zuzu, and she raised a hand and outstretched her fingers. The Mudkip gave it a sleepy sniff and then yawned, showing off tiny teeth, as her hand ran over the blue skin, her fingers bumping against Ruby's. He felt the each contact as a tiny bolt of electricity.

"I thought about you all the time," he murmured in response, noting how her hair, now loose from the blue bandana that had once held it, was rough but smooth against his face. His voice was barely audible when he told her, "I thought you were dead."

"I would've been if I hadn't met Emerald." She didn't speak for a while after that, her hand dropping from the Pokemon to lay limply on her leg. Ruby carefully transferred Zuzu to the sand by his knee – the Mudkip was fast asleep and was beginning to drool on his trousers – and then, after another moment's hesitation, found her hand and laced his fingers with hers.

Once he had, she spoke again. "He saved me from feeling sorry for myself, you know. He's so short, but his heart and his dreams are so big." She exhaled softly through her nose, and he could see a small smile playing upon her lips. "He convinced me to do something with my life; to get revenge, or to make sure what happened to me – us – never happened again."

He opened his mouth, hesitated, and then went forth anyhow, his voice low and hushed, "How did you get the ship?" It was a quiet, private moment, with the only other sounds being the crackling of the fire and the leaves rustling in the breeze. It was also getting cold, rapidly; he was grateful for Sapphire's warmth pressed against him.

"Shenanigans," she said with a smirk, her fingers tightening over his for a moment before she continued in a lower voice, "Basically I disguised myself as a boy, signed onto a ship, helped Emerald sneak on, then threw everyone out onto the port and sailed away." She adjusted her positioning so her cheek was pressed against his shoulder. "It was stupid and it was hard and we should be dead by all rights – but then we picked up the four and things started to look up a bit."

Ruby lifted his head and looked over at the _Zaffiro_. He could make out silhouettes standing or leaning on the railing, though they disappeared after a few seconds; he'd have to ask his mates about spying later. "You and Emerald managed to work that thing by _yourselves_?" he asked, incredulous, even as she nodded while hissing "it's a _she_, Ruby," and he asked, skeptical, "How did you do it?"

"We have our Pokemon, remember," she pointed out, bumping her shoulder against his. "I mean, Toro wasn't fully evolved by then, but between use and her and Emerald's Sceptile, we made things work. It was much easier when Green and Red and Blue and Yellow came along, though; with their Pokemon we had eight extra pairs of hands. Well," she paused, "Seven, because Chuchu couldn't do much."

Ruby saw Yellow's Pikachu so infrequently he often forgot it even existed – which made him feel bad, and he wondered if Zuzu had ever met the Electric-type. "How did you find everyone else?"

"We just picked them up." He chuckled and she said, sitting up slightly and her tone defiant, "No, I'm serious. Gold kind of invited himself on board and Crystal and Silver had nowhere to go, plus Silver knew Blue from ways back, then we found the Sinnoh trio, and then the Unovian four. And then," here she lifted her head and looked at him, deep cerulean eyes piercing his, "Gold kidnapped you, and here you are."

"Mm." He found himself staring without really meaning to. She didn't seem to mind, though, probably because she was doing the same thing, and then he said, going out on a limb, "You're very pretty."

The look she gave him was priceless – horror, uncertainty, fear, hope, embarrassment flickered past in a manner of seconds, passing clouds on her face, and then she was scoffing and saying, "No, I'm not."

"You totally are."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are."

"I'm not!" He paused in his immediately rebuttal, because she sounded so put-out, so totally sure that was the case, that he knew no matter how many times he said otherwise it would have no affect.

So he amended his words, and he told her, "You are to me," and the reaction was nigh instantaneous. Her cheeks flushed a brilliant red and she grumbled into his shoulder but didn't say anything else: mission accomplished. Then she pulled away and he looked over to her in confusion, and her eyes immediately flitted upwards and so did her hand; her fingers traced the scar tissue across his hairline, and he shivered involuntarily at her touch. He would never have thought anything like this would be happening, ever, in his life, and it was amazing.

She whispered, "Do they still hurt you?"

"Only my pride," he responded just as quietly, automatically almost, and then realized the truth in those words. He hadn't been able to rescue Sapphire that day, or days after, and he had paid the price with his father's hellish treatment and with scars as constant reminders of his failure. His pride, his dignity, the only thing that kept him going – it was dampened by many other things, but most especially the scar tissue slashed on his forehead.

She merely nodded at him, though, her hand dropping down again and linking fingers with him once more before snuggling closer with a contented little sigh. Arceus she was adorable when she wasn't being badass, he thought privately, pressing himself against her without a word on his part.

They didn't say anything else for a long while, simply drinking in each other's presence and keeping the fire going as necessary. It was only when Sapphire sat back down and intertwined her fingers with Ruby's again, after adding more wood to the flames, that he spoke.

"I really like you, you know." _I love you so much it hurts_.

There was a long lull in the conversation, and he wondered if he had made a mistake. But then he heard her whisper back, "I really like you, too," and he felt his heart flip. Nothing else was said for the remainder of the watch, as they leaned into each other and kept an eye out, with a little Mudkip snoozing at his knee.

* * *

"Did you have quality time together?" White asked him cheerfully. It was the next day and everyone was hard at work, with Ruby, Cheren, Emerald, Yellow, and White working on braiding more ropes that would do as replacements until actual ones could be acquired.

In any case, Ruby nodded but didn't elaborate, even as the brunette, along with Yellow, began to gush over the cuteness of it all. "So it's, like, official?" Emerald wanted to know over the cooing of the girls, and Ruby couldn't restrain a smile at that. For all of his childishness, he now knew what kind of person the short boy was, and he would never forget it. Still, it was good to know that even with that steely interior, he acted like the boy he was on the outside. "I can tease her about it now?"

"Please do," Ruby replied with a smirk, to which even Cheren couldn't hide his amusement and the dark-haired boy snorted. His fingers were unused to labor such as this, as he was always writing, but he was braiding almost as quickly as Ruby due to his experience with a quill.

"I heard that," Sapphire said, passing by with what appeared to be part of a tree's trunk over her shoulder. Her Blaziken held the other half, and Ruby ducked but failed to avoid Sapphire's fist to his head. The five watched her make her way to the ship, and when her Blaziken quite literally threw the wood onto the deck, Black and White's Emboars caught them and disappeared out of view.

"Least she hasn't changed any," White commented, and the people around her chuckled.

Bianca and Dia then appeared from the jungle, toting berries of all kinds in baskets that had been made earlier in the morning by Ruby. They came over and he stood, temporarily abandoning his work in order to help them prepare breakfast, which was essentially a salad of berries. Some had to be peeled, though, and others Ruby occasionally had to throw out, because while both his mates were fantastic cooks he out of all of them was the only one who had ever laid eyes on a cookbook.

They had just settled themselves onto the sand and withdrew daggers and knives, picking through which berries would go with what, when Black trotted towards them. His black overcoat was folded neatly over his arm, and his skin was coated in a thin layer of sweat; he was also barefoot, and Ruby guessed his boots were back on the ship.

"Hey, Black!" White said with a smile, waving a hand. The boy didn't respond to her call, instead walking over and dropping besides her with a sigh, placing his head in his hands. The brunette's eyes widened in concern and she dropped her braid, scooting closer to him until her side was pressed against his.

"Something wrong?" Ruby asked him, lifting his eyes from the berry that he was peeling and stilling his blade; cutting his hands to ribbons was not something he wanted to do and would be far from practical at the moment.

"Since when is something not," Cheren said dryly, to which Emerald hummed agreement. Still, Ruby could tell he was concerned when the he, too, set down the braid he was working on and moved over to Black, leaning forward and eyeing him carefully. "What's up?"

"You have no idea," Black grumbled, his overcoat dropping from his hands into the sand. Ruby winced and immediately went to fetch it, shaking out the granules of sand and lying it flat over one of the logs they were using as seats. He repeated under his breath, gnashing and gritting his teeth, "You have absolutely no idea."

"Aw, come on, Black, it can't be _that_ bad," White said teasingly, draping herself all over him like he was a pillow. Ruby could clearly see how close the two were, possibly closer friends than Cheren was to Black and Bianca was to White. "Tell us."

"Yes, tell us, was it Gold again?" Bianca echoed with a smile, looking up briefly from the berry she was peeling. Emerald muttered something no one heard and took off, taking his braid and some leaves with him; Ruby wondered vaguely if the proceeding noise would be emotionally draining, in which case he found that he wanted to skedaddle as well. Emerald's instincts were often spot-on, as he was discovering as of late.

"The dreams are coming back," Black said hoarsely, and everyone abruptly fell silent. Even Dia, whose hands had been a blur as they peeled berries, came to a standstill, and Ruby quickly followed suit, wondering what was up, at the lengthy pause that followed.

"Did you see anything… bad?" White asked in a hushed tone after a moment, withdrawing herself from his back and instead reaching around the brunet with an arm. Ruby watched as her fingers laced themselves with his, not a romantic gesture but more of a very good friend to another; he would call it a reassuring move more than anything.

"Death is in the future." The statement was uttered so quietly Ruby had a hard time hearing it; nevertheless, they sent a chill up his spine as Black intoned, almost monotonously, "Someone is going to die, and there will be nothing we can do to stop it."

"White," Bianca said warningly, and the girl nodded, her mouth set in a thin line. Some unspoken communication passed between her and Cheren and Bianca; then White tightened her grip on him as her friend stood, and she tried to pull him back down to no avail.

Both Cheren and Bianca stood at the same time and came closer as Black's brown eyes met Ruby's squarely, and he was walking over to him as White continued to try to hold him back. His hands fell onto the boy's shoulder and he leaned in close to Ruby's face, hissing, "_You_ will be responsible."

"I – what?" Both White and Cheren attempted to pull their friend away from him, as Bianca dropped her knife and rushed over and Ruby's eyes searched the boatswain's desperately for any sort of friendliness he always remembered. "I don't understand, what – ?"

"It is your fault," Black repeated, unmoving, and the yells of the others faded away until his voice was all Ruby could hear. The world had narrowed to the face in front of him, set and determined and fearful and frustrated and desperate. "But when the time comes – when it truly matters – you will be forced to stand aside and watch, and because of a single mistake you made. And nothing – " here the other withdrew and Ruby watched, breathless – "you try to do will stop it."

Nothing moved for what seemed like hours; it almost seemed like no one dared to breathe. His ears were ringing like a bell was clanging in his mind, and the words flipped over and around in his brain, _mistake stand aside watch nothing will stop it death is in the future_, until they were muddled and unclear. And then the world came into sharp focus as Black clutched his head with his hands and began to scream something, over and over, and then Ruby processed the words:

"_Make the dreams stop, make them stop, make the dreams stop,_" and White was hugging him and crying and both Cheren and Bianca were staring and holding their breath, and Dia had his hand on Ruby's shoulder, eyes narrowed yet emotionless, a silent assurance and supporter at his side.

As suddenly as it had begun, Black collapsed and his full weight fell forward, and White swayed slightly to support his weight, wrapping a hand around him to rest on his head. Both Cheren and Bianca steadied the two as she padded a few steps behind her and then plopped down onto the log their mates had thoughtfully brought to serve as seats, cradling Black's head in her lap.

No one spoke for a few, very long moments.

"Did I do something wrong?" Ruby asked at last, voice hushed, staring at the Unovians. They were all gathered around their fallen friend, and they hardly glanced up at the sound of his voice.

In fact, it was Dia who answered him. "No," the Sinnoh native whispered, continued to peel the berries in his hand – distractedly, but not overly so that he cut himself, it seemed. "Something about you triggered the dreams again, and when they come Black has a hard time controlling them, ever since his Munna – died."

The last word was so quiet Ruby almost missed it, and he bowed his head and returned to his work, trying to focus on both it and not hurting himself. It was hard, for he was able to hear Black's shuddering breaths besides him and whispers of encouragement and reassurance from White. He hadn't known that one of his mates was something of a _seer_…

_And nothing you try to do will stop it_ –

He hissed when he sliced his fingers and blood, as red as his namesake, came forth.

* * *

"It is unacceptable that we failed to take his life away."

Giovanni's voice was a deep rumble across the deck of his boat. His numerous crew members were silent as a grave, standing stone still in rows on the worn wood, while his subordinates were closer, arranged in a semi-circle around a kneeling man.

"We have managed to destroy all of the esteemed professors and Leaders of the world – and yet, this man survived.

_How is this possible?_"

All eyes turned onto two of the five figures up front, one dressed in cerulean blue colors and the other dressed in a rich, deep red. They didn't look at each other, despite being both from Hoenn and therefore seemingly working together; indeed, one could say they were bitter rivals from the steely ignorance they displayed so prominently for the other.

"It doesn't matter, not when he is right here," the one clad in blue finally ventures, after a lengthy pause in which only the light lapping of the waves against the ship's hull could be heard.

"We will kill him now, and the task will be complete," the other added, hands folded primly behind him, face expressionless and smooth.

Giovanni surveyed them both, large and intimidating, a Persian curling around his legs with a throaty purr. No words were said for what seemed to be hours; no one was sure if those hours were minutes or even seconds, so tense was the atmosphere.

"You are to be rewarded for discovering his existence, Archie, Maxie" the captain said at last, and both of the subordinates bowed their heads slightly in thanks. However, the captain continued with icy coldness, "You are responsible for his death. Should you fail once again, I am afraid I will have to fall upon drastic measures."

Silence, a prolonged one in which all were afeard to fill. In this time of no sound, however, a faint whispering could be heard; all heads turned to view the prisoner, on his knees and breathing in, out, something, so quietly it would be almost impossible to detect, a word, a single word, a name, a _name_.

"Ruby," Norman murmured under his breath, and Giovanni stepped closer and seized by the neck. Still the uttering continued, quiet-like, nearabout silent, a girl's name for a boy, over and over, and then – an evil grin spread upon the captain's face.

"The boy," he said, and all but one of his subordinates' eyes lit up in comprehension – all but the youngest member, the newest one, with bushy lime-green hair and deep but emotionless eyes, staring blanking at his leader.

"_We can use this man to lure the boy_."

And still Norman continued to whisper, a hope, a beacon, his last. _Ruby_. A gem, a jewel, more precious to him and to his heart than any money could ever buy. _Ruby_. The beginning, the end, shattering his reality, opening his eyes to his own failings. _Ruby_.

His son.


	9. Unfortunate Encounter

**My reviewers make me smile. I'm sorry I'm giving you a filler chappie, though. Not only that, but this has been edited only minimally, so... there're probably errors in places.**

Random Visitor Girl**: I'm an evil author like that, mwa ha ha ha.**

FireMightyena**: Ha ha, thanks for the praise, I really don't deserve it. Also your speculating was very enjoyable to read, I'm glad you can see it! My next update is now, sorry for not PM-ing you – I'm just never sure when I update, it's sporadic at best.**

pokefan113**: Hhhng, you are so kind friend, your lavish praise is so wonderful and I feel almost guilty because it's like I'm fishing for compliments. But yes, I need to get this done so I can focus on A Question of Faith, and once that's done, neeeeew project! Whooooo~**

Whismur Publishing House**: You will always be VP to me, WPH, just saying. But don't argue about Maxie and Archie, I needed them in the same place for reasons, and it will work out (read: it will not work at all) in the end and then it will make sense (read: it will not)!**

Namine Rose25**: Thank you! :D I've been practicing with capturing personalities for a long time, and it's wonderful to see that it shows!**

CrimsonSnowScarletFate**: The end was the easiest part to write, and I still don't know how it came to me so quickly.**

PokeCritic**: Thank you very much~ :) Only one ship is sailing in this fic for certain, and that is Franticshipping – you'll have to search elsewhere to find other ships, I'm afraid! Maybe one day, though.**

Gems of Amber**: *shrieks loudly* THANK YOU I AM SO FLATTERED THIS IS THE FIRST STORY YOU REVIEWED THANK YOU THANK YOU HAVE A HEART EXCEPT FANFICTION DOESN'T LET THE LESS THAN SIGN BE USED (I'm sorry, I'm hyper).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, but I own the plot.**

* * *

"Wingulls!"

Emerald's sharp cry was held all across the deck, and everyone paused in their work to look up into the sky. Indeed, a flock of Wingull and Pelliper were coasting high above their heads; Ruby had never seen a more beautiful sight, because those very same birds meant that solid ground – _civilization_ – was nearby. A cry of pure happiness came from somewhere, and he turned to see Gold fall to his knees, then right onto his front, as Crystal pursed her lips some distance away, unimpressed.

Someone walked past him with a swish of light fabric, and then Black's arm swept out in an arc as he sidled past him and shouted, "Prepare for docking!" Ruby wished he knew how to get back into the boatswain's good graces, but the brunet had been acting distant and had gone out of his way to avoid the Hoenn native after his – prophecy of sorts. He couldn't blame the Unovian, but at the same time, it had been five days since then, and he'd been hoping for some closure.

In any case, he hurried to go about his duties, meeting up with Pearl to climb up the ratlines with a grace and speed that had developed over his short time on the crew. Together they brought the full sail down to half, and then threaded their arms through the lines, swinging slightly in the breeze. They were to wait for the call to pull up the sails entirely, so the ship would cease movement completely, and Black would tell them when it was time.

"These things hurt," Pearl complained, his voice carrying easily over to Ruby due to the slight breeze. Indeed, the ratlines had been mostly salvageable, though some had to be replaced with the braided fibers they'd made on the deserted island. The material was smooth to the touch, but stray fibers would poke and often cut their hands and bare feet. "I'll be glad to get actual rope."

Ruby murmured assent with a quiet "me too" as he cast his eyes across the landscape. They were near Vermillion City, so it seemed, and Emerald had already replaced the Jolly Roger flag with a noncommittal white one instead, so they should theoretically be fine. However, Sapphire didn't want to take any chances, and as such Silver had traced a path where they could dock in a secluded lagoon instead. He could just make out the edges of it from here, and he pointed this out to Pearl, who grinned widely at nothing in particular.

"I'll be glad to be on solid land again," he said with a laugh, and it was so infectious that Ruby could not help but smile in return.

A bellow sounded from below them. "Pearl! Ruby!"

The two scrambled to get back to work, the two managing to get the sails all the way up. The Water-type Pokemon below on deck blasted water into the ocean to slow the _Zaffiro_ down, Zuzu among them, and soon enough the sloop lowered anchor in a small, quiet indent, protected from the ocean's winds but close enough to easily return to its expansive waters. The two then shimmied down the ratlines as quickly as possible, earning a few cuts along the way. Who knew ropes could be such a luxury?

Once Ruby's feet hit the deck, Pearl's echoing just a heartbeat after him, Sapphire appeared from essentially nowhere, and gestured for him and several others to come over. "You're to scout for information on a ship, people's families, and purchase food if possible," she said, resting her eyes on the five people gathered around her with equal intensity, even on him. "Platina, Dia, and Bianca, I want you to focus on the food portion, but keep an ear out for the others. Blue, you do the usual. And Ruby – you're on spy duty."

The _why me?_ didn't even have time to escape his lips before she was jabbing his chest with a finger and saying, "You're the stealthiest out of all of us, plus you don't bring as much attention to yourself with a small Pokemon like Zuzu. Don't argue." He closed his mouth at that and rolled his eyes when Blue giggled, probably at some aspect of his relationship with the girl captain again, and Sapphire's cheeks flushed a furious red as she scowled at the older Kanto native.

He called Zuzu to him with a snap of his fingers, as Blue, Platina, Dia and Bianca returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs, and together the five of them carefully slipped down the sloop's sides with the ropes hanging off of its worn hull, landing in the water with a splash and swimming and wading to shore. They didn't spare anytime wringing out their clothes, much to Ruby's chagrin, and immediately set forth towards the city.

Upon arriving close enough to hear the collective noise of the crowded town, Blue looked back and nodded; the five then split into two different groups, with Ruby and Blue in one and the other three in the other. The pair made their way to a different, smaller entrance to the city while the others entered through the main one; they darted in with little fanfare and, once well within the city's boundaries, Blue bid farewell to him with a small tap on the shoulder and a sly smile. Before he could even blink she was gone, blending in with the nearby buildings as if she were one with the shadows.

_Time to get to work_, he thought, and with Zuzu sitting primly on his shoulder, he began to make his way to the center of town, his steps light and his breathing quiet. He hated how he slipped into a stealthy positioning nigh instantaneously, having had much practice back at the estate in Petalburg. Back when his father was in control of his life.

He refused to let the man's image flash across his mind, and though Zuzu chirped at him, concerned at his master's sudden change in disposition, Ruby continued onward, merely gritting his teeth slightly at the thought. There was no reason to worry about his father, he told himself as he neared the town's city square. He wouldn't find him, and he wouldn't worry about him, there was in fact no reason that he would be anywhere near here, as Vermillion City was in an entirely different region than Petalburg City was –

As he slipped into the afternoon crowd of Vermillion's public square, however, the barest of whispers brushed past his ear: _Gym Leader… Petalburg… _Ruby's lip curled in a scowl, and even Zuzu tensed slightly from his position on his master's shoulder. _There was no reason he was here_, Ruby insisted once again to himself, as he roamed the streets, waiting for a gaggle of people that were conveniently close to a hidden spot where he could eavesdrop. He found one presently and tucked himself around a corner, Zuzu leaping from his shoulder to sit quietly at his feet.

When he heard what they were talking about, his bones slowly turned to stone and his blood to ice.

" – the Petalburg Gym Leader?"

"Yeah. They say that he's gone missing, right?"

"But his mansion hasn't been completely remodeled yet from the fire, though! Where would he go?"

"Maybe he went to find his son." Ruby swallowed hard and willed himself to stay completely still – not that he could move a muscle if he tried.

"I doubt it," the first speaker said, his tone almost condescending. "It's been over a couple of weeks since then."

Another snapped back, "That doesn't explain where he's gone, though."

"I can tell you." The new voice is authoritative and deep, and the others' hush as it continues on. Ruby felt it run chills down his spine, and he could barely feel Zuzu nuzzling his ankle in concern. "The pirates on the _Ingenium_ got him." A series of gasps filled the air, and Ruby felt the blood drain out of his face, as the person continued, "They let Petalburg a few days ago; I saw their ship sail due south with its black, tattered sails."

The conversation then moved into ships and sails, but Ruby was unable to hear them. Instead, he slowly sank down to a crouch, his back pressed against the wall, his eyes wide and unseeing. Zuzu pawed his knee with one of his forelegs, letting out worried little squeaks all the while, and Ruby mechanically picked him up and stroked the lithe Mudkip, his fingers shaking uncontrollably.

_Deep breaths_, a voice said in his mind, the logical part, and he obeyed, breathing in deeply through his nose and exhaling carefully through his mouth. He repeated the procedure a few times, waiting to regain the feeling in his body and for his blood and face to warm, his hand running up and down his Pokemon's back all the while. Once he was sure he wouldn't fall over, he shakily rose to his feet, leaning heavily on the wall for support.

Then without a word, he turned his back on the busy town square, slowly making his way out of the alley, past the Gym, past the officers patrolling the city, and out of the town the same way he'd come in.

* * *

When he clambered back on board sometime later, having gotten lost briefly in the woods, he hit the deck hard and immediately went up the ratlines, barely pausing when Yellow called his name. He went a fair distance, out of theoretical earshot, and dangled from the ropes, looping his elbows through the squares and digging his heels into the bottom of the twine. Once he was sure he wouldn't fall to his death, he ran everything he had heard through his head.

The first thought in his head was _Dad's been kidnapped by the pirates on the _Ingenium – not a bad start. Not to mention he had a vague location of where the ship was, which was helpful in the fact that Sapphire wanted to find it. They both wanted to find it, since they both knew that the one who'd scarred their childhood and changed their life forever was the captain of that very same ship.

He needed to tell Sapphire, but his heart felt so heavy he could barely get himself to move from where he was. Instead, he cast his eyes toward the horizon, the visible portion of the sea from the lagoon, and watched the orange colors swirl with the pale clouds and the darker sky, a palette he'd never really enjoyed until he'd been able to see a sunrise high up on the crow's nest.

He jumped when someone began to climb the ropes, shaking them slightly as they did so, and he easily flipped himself around and pulled himself higher until he had come up to one of the upper decks, below the crow's nest but still relatively high. There he sat on the edge as the other person came into view, and he wasn't surprised to see it was Sapphire.

"You all right?" she asked as she easily pulled herself up besides him. Almost unconsciously they both leaned into each other, shoulders touching, heads close together but not touching, and with a noticeable hesitation she took his hand in hers.

"Yeah."

"Liar."

He looked over at her, red eyes slightly narrowed, brow furrowed. She was staring right back, blue eyes wide and full of innocence, and then she added, "Did you learn anything?"

Suddenly his tongue felt like a giant stone in his mouth, and it was so hard for him to form the simple word of assent. Eventually, though, it worked itself out of his mouth, and he said, "Yes."

"Elaborate, then."

Once he got started, it wasn't hard at all. He relayed what he'd learned about his father with only a hiccup here and there, and her fingers tightened around his when he told her about where the _Ingenium_ was located. He felt drained afterwards, as if he'd run a thousand miles, though he had no idea why; it had been a short story, and it hadn't been too difficult to tell it to her.

"You wanna tell the rest of 'em or should I?" She was looking at him with a hyper-focused gaze, her eyes as blue and deep as the sea itself, and without really meaning to his free hand rose up and his fingers lightly dusted her cheek. She leaned into his touch, just ever so slightly, and then she added, "I'll do it. You look a little frazzled right now."

"Thanks." The word was barely audible, and she nodded in understanding. He barely registered her brief but tight hug before she made her way back down the ratlines, going by so quickly she was on deck in mere seconds. He watched from his perch as she called the crew members together, and as she conveyed the message he saw a few of them look up at him, Yellow specifically in concern.

He would talk to them later. For now, he allowed himself to fall flat on his back, his knees still hanging over the edge, and stared up at the rapidly-darkening sky. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

**LOOK HOW SHORT THIS THING IS. FILLER CHAPTER, INDEED. There will be more action next time around!**


End file.
